Heater bees !

[clare p]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZEoAMfRICM[/ame]

this is really interesting

xxxxx

Clare

 

[Black Comb]

A really good and interesting vid.

Thanks for posting Clare.

 

[Brosville]

Good find!

 

[Heather]

Aren't they wonderful- thanks for that,Clare

 

[Skyhook]

I was amazed by this when it came out, and thought it would take the bee world by storm. I've been surprised by how little reaction there's been.

 

[darren64]

This is really interesting,some great footage.

 

[oliver90owner]

Nice to see the video. First thread was back in March

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3810&highlight=heater+bees

RAB

 

[Friar Tuck]

where is the rest of the documentary. is there a full programme ?

 

[jimbeekeeper]

where is the rest of the documentary. is there a full programme ?

Its was on BBC, Richard Hammonds Invisible worlds program 2.

I do not think is on Iplayer anymore as a full series.

http://www.tvguide.co.uk/episodeguide.asp?title=Richard Hammond's Invisible Worlds&

 

[Dishmop]

I was amazed by this when it came out, and thought it would take the bee world by storm. I've been surprised by how little reaction there's been.

Probably because it doesnt tally with what beek experts have been telling us.

 

[drstitson]

"Probably because it doesnt tally with what beek experts have been telling us."

well documented in Tautz's Buzz about bees book.

On an interesting note think about how how the holes in brood for heater bees come about.

AFAIK the cells are all identical and queen lays sequentially next to occupied cells.

There is a convenient way in which the makeup of bees would provide the necessary (around) 1 in 20 frequency of empty cells.

before i put forward my suggestion anyone else thinking along same lines????

Would be great little project for someone with an observation hives - put a fresh frame in, let queen lay, document all cells with eggs and then all cells of capped brood.

 

[BobH1]

"Probably because it doesnt tally with what beek experts have been telling us."

it's more likely that the information is well known and not new. I don't expect a children's television programme to be doing original research.

 

[chycarne]

Not sure that Invisble Worlds was a kidz programme, not sure how well known this is I havent read very much about it till recently. I thought it very interesting.

 

[djg]

Thanks, clare p - a good remedy for those of us who miss getting up close and personal with our bees over the winter!

 

[drstitson]

i was originally wondering, if, given the countryside in which the building was set, that the bee stuff had been done at sussex uni.

however - it would appear that it was actually done with the man Tautz himself.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/7435950/Honey-bees-secret-world-of-heat-revealed.html

 

[oliver90owner]

drstitson

AFAIK the cells are all identical and queen lays sequentially next to occupied cells.

I would strongly suspect it has little to do with the queen. She is just an egg-layer. The workers are securely in control of things like that? Probably egg removal or other actions on the part of the workers.

Also we have all seen vast tracts of capped brood without every twentieth cell unoccupied, so this could be more at a time of need for general extra warmth in the brood nest or for some 'special effects' and not standard procedure for any particular hive.

Later in the season they might employ 'cooler bees' if their were not a load of 'fanning bees' (less specialised bees, these!) on duty. Lots to learn about it. I reckon we will hear a lots more when they unravel the secrets, after further research.

Regards, RAB

 

[drstitson]

my theory was that it would provide a reason for the evolution/maintenance of the honeybee sex determination mechanism - conveniently provides for removal of diploid drone larvae from 1/20 cells on average with an outcrossed well mated queen.

 

[Friar Tuck]

Its was on BBC, Richard Hammonds Invisible worlds program 2.

I do not think is on Iplayer anymore as a full series.

http://www.tvguide.co.uk/episodeguide.asp?title=Richard Hammond's Invisible Worlds&

Thanks Jim

 

[Dishmop]

I thought that the workers built standard cells for workers and bigger cells for drones....

Would be great little project for someone with an observation hives - put a fresh frame in, let queen lay, document all cells with eggs and then all cells of capped brood.

This is something which I will be observing as it happens.
At the moment no cells on the lower frames are capped.

 

[drstitson]

Dishmop - a series of hires photos with orientation points that provide coverage of a set block of freshly laid comb would be great - you can flag up egg containing cells at your leisure and then repeat at capped stage.

"I thought that the workers built standard cells for workers and bigger cells for drones...."

yes that is correct for normal haploid drones - workers build big cells, queen senses big cell and deposits unfertilised egg.
diploid drone brood occurs when egg and sperm share sex allele - diploid fertilised egg results BUT appears homozygous (2 identical copies) at sex gene rather than heterozygous (2 different copies) so drone results - workers destroy these shortly after hatching!!!!! that is why inbred bees show patchy brood (upto at worst 50% failed cells even if all mating drones genetically identical - since queen by definition must have 2 different copies of sex gene).