Bees changing colour?

[John M]

I picked up my second colony (full to bursting 5 frame nuc) about a week ago and was told that the queen was a few weeks old and the daughter of a queen that swarmed very early this year. I moved them into a new hive and fed them and they are working twice as hard as my other colony (similar size but half the landings).

When I went to the hives today, I noticed that instead of all pretty uniformly incredibly dark bees which I had I now have about half of them which are ginger from the top (thorax end) of the abdomin down to half way then dark to the end of the abdomin.
Is there such a variation between sisters?
Is it because frames in the original nuc were from different queens? - although I understood they were hers.
Are the likely to have a similar work ethic to the dark ones?
Did I just not notice the variation before (although I am pretty sure)?
...and any other questions I should have asked.

Sorry to seem so concerned over nothing but it is partly curiosity and partly a ridiculous concern because I want to do this beekeeping thing right.

 

[Lance Hutchings]

Could possibly be genes coming through from a different drone she's mated with ?

 

[Baggyone]

Are both colonies from the same source?

Pretty much impossible in most places to keep pure bred queens, always going to be some variation. I know of 3 beekeepers with hives within 3/4 mile of mine. Theres no way that I will have anything other that mixtures. Thats born out in the 3 queen+ hives I have. All slightly different yet daughters of the same queen.

Once you get the handle of that then you will start trying to get your head around "why don't all my hives produce the same amount of honey?" and never will get an answear.

Enjoy the bees in all their varience.

Baggy

 

[John M]

thanks for the quick answers

my first lot are quite dark but look very similar to each other. The second lot (different source) seem to be 2 distict groups within 1 hive.

I am determined that this is not going to take over my life

John

edit: discribed by both keepers as 'local mongrels which is fine by me

 

[MuswellMetro]

thanks for the quick answers

my first lot are quite dark but look very similar to each other. The second lot (different source) seem to be 2 distict groups within 1 hive.

I am determined that this is not going to take over my life

John

edit: discribed by both keepers as 'local mongrels which is fine by me

if she is a few week old then most of the bees will not be hers. the brood emerges 21 days after she lays the eggs, so you will only be seeing her brood now and the drones she mated with must have more italain blood in their veins

and if you are posting on here then it has already taken you over

 

[drstitson]

to paraphrase MM (and expand):

if she is only a few weeks old then the bees (and probably most, if not all, of the brood) cannot not have been hers. the brood emerges 21 days after she lays the eggs, so you will only be seeing her brood from at least 3 weeks after mating. In all likelihood the nuc may well have been made up of assorted frames of brood from different hives - nothing necessarily wrong there - so long as queen proven!!!! (unless she was sold/provided as unmated.