View Full Version : queen laying
ron c
09-16-2004, 08:22 PM
when a queen is laying eggs, aside from the size of cell,how is it decided to deposit a fertilized egg or not?
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Michael Bush
09-17-2004, 07:08 AM
>when a queen is laying eggs, aside from the size of cell,how is it decided to deposit a fertilized egg or not?
There is not "aside from" involved. It is by the size of the cell. She sticks her head in and measures it and then she fertilized or doesn't fertilize as appropriate to the size of the cell.
Robert Brenchley
09-18-2004, 05:14 AM
That doesn't fully answer it though, as when there are no drone cells, they'll raise drones in worker cells when they want to. I've had a lot of that this year, with the drone neatly arranged round the edge of the brood nest. So how do they do it?
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Regards,
Robert Brenchley
RSBrenchley@aol.com
Birmingham UK
Hillbillynursery
09-18-2004, 08:09 AM
I have never seen drones in worker cells(except by the laying working in a queenless hive). Check the cell size as 5.6 is the smallest I have seen drones raised in 5.6 only in my natural cell colonies(mostly smaller than 5.1 down to 4.5). Standard foundation is 5.4mm on this side of the pond. And the smaller drone cells do not look much bigger if any until you measure them.
Michael Bush
09-18-2004, 08:22 AM
Hillbillynusery's observations are the same as mine. I'll bet those cells with drones in them are a little above average, like 5.6mm or so if the queen layed drones in them. My natural drone cells seem to vary even more than the workers. Drones seem to run from 5.6mm to 6.8mm or so. The drones from the 6.8mm cells look like aliens from another planet. The 5.6mm drones are quite small but stubby looking.
Hillbillynursery
09-18-2004, 01:10 PM
MB I had a few of those over sized drones. I saw one next to my queen and it was nearly as long as the queen with a large head really weird looking.
Robert Brenchley
09-19-2004, 04:36 PM
I'll measure them up when I get a chance; last time I checked there was still some capped drone brood in there. I have quite a mix of cell sizes at the moment so I'm not going to guess what they're on.
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Regards,
Robert Brenchley
RSBrenchley@aol.com
Birmingham UK
[This message has been edited by Robert Brenchley (edited September 19, 2004).]