Native AMM queen query

[viridens]

The following is a description of the queen bee from 'A Complete Guide to the Mystery and Management of Bees' written by William White, an English gentleman, and first published around 1771.

"She differs from the common bee, both in shape and colour: her back is of a bright brown; her belly, from the top of her fangs to the tip of her train, is clean, beautiful, and of a dark yellow, something deeper than the richest gold.....Her nether part is much longer than her upper part, and more sharp than an ordinary bee, having in it four ringles or partitions, and, in in each ringle, a golden bar, instead of those three whitish rings which other bees have at their three partitions."

This does not seem to tally with the modern coal-black AMM queens I see for sale. Any ideas why?

 

[B+.]

This does not seem to tally with the modern coal-black AMM queens I see for sale. Any ideas why?

It sounds as though he is comparing this specimen with the darker bees with which he is familiar. It's tempting to say Ligustica (because of the yellow) but there isn't a lot of information there. Clearly, it's an anomaly.

 

[Repwoc]

https://ia600700.us.archive.org/21/items/acompleteguidet00whitgoog/acompleteguidet00whitgoog.pdf

Interesting reading. It sounds like bees were well known for their defensiveness: "... for if you give them the least affront, they will fall upon you with the ferocity of a lion; and if you strike them down to the ground several times, they will, notwithstanding, renew the fight, even until they lose their lives; ..."

Did this book inspire ITLD's username?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Did this book inspire ITLD's username?

Good call!
But no
The Lion’s Den is this forum and Murray stepped in to explain something about him that was being discussed here quite vigorously.

 

[viridens]

It sounds as though he is comparing this specimen with the darker bees with which he is familiar. It's tempting to say Ligustica (because of the yellow) but there isn't a lot of information there. Clearly, it's an anomaly.

No, the comparison is with the workers and drones. And this was many years before Italian imports - unless someone knows better?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

we were moving bees around the world by then - in fact, probably a lot earlier.

 

[gp125john]

One of my very dark coloured colonies has a queen who looks like that, she bears little resemblance to the workers which are completely black.

 

[For want of a better word]

One of my very dark coloured colonies has a queen who looks like that, she bears little resemblance to the workers which are completely black.

Some of my Cornish Amm queens fit that description... and (grafter mother queen) DNA shows 95% Amm and group M in the mitochondrial DNA...... and this seems to breed true as nearly all of the 40 nucs I checked yesterday ( Last seasons queens open mated on Rame) had queens of this coloration.... a few were black all over.
And nice and easy to spot with the numbered florescent green discs!!!

Chons da

 

[pargyle]

And nice and easy to spot with the numbered florescent green discs!!!

How can you inflict green fluorescent discs on the poor girls - they must feel like a 1960's Isle of Wight festival participant ! Retro queens ... you'll be giving them LSD next ..

 

[For want of a better word]

How can you inflict green fluorescent discs on the poor girls - they must feel like a 1960's Isle of Wight festival participant ! Retro queens ... you'll be giving them LSD next ..

I feed all of my girls ipomea extract!!

 

[Curly green finger's]

I feed all of my girls ipomea extract!!

Morning glory is very poisonous they would fair better with the LSD.
Or to make them chilled give them some herb....

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I remember Morning Glorys .........................