Queen bee size changes

[Michael ECB's]

And another similar queen....just look for the smallest bee...

She couldn't have been easy to find....

 

[Antipodes]

I did not mean post 9. Nro 9 looks like mated.

Thanks Finman. Good news for me.

 

[rolande]

I did not mean post 9. Nro 9 looks like mated.

Which picture was you referring to then?

 

[beeno]

I looked what is an intercaste. It is a queen which has reared from 4 days old larva. It is Something between a queen and a worker.

It is not quite that simple it happens regardless of emergency cell production lack of nutrition or warmth i.e. lack of an adequate no of nurse bees.

 

[Finman]

It is not quite that simple it happens regardless of emergency cell production lack of nutrition or warmth i.e. lack of an adequate no of nurse bees.

What then.... = a too small queen
I have known that 55 years, why some queens are small. But I have not known that intercaste term. We do not have such term in Finland.

 

[Madge]

Small queens aren't necessarily intercaste either. As I've said earlier, I've had small queens that performed really well.

 

[Antipodes]

This is one of my queens I photographed yesterday. Most of those I saw were like this. Much more clearly mated.

 

[Finman]

Small queens aren't necessarily intercaste either. As I've said earlier, I've had small queens that performed really well.

It depends, what is small queen. But it depends totally on you, what you think.

Many accept emergency queens, but I do not.

it is funny, that guys want a good queen, but many reduce the laying space to one box. Or the whole hive is too small.

 

[Antipodes]

The sperm she collected during her mating flight would probably have an immediate impact on the size of her abdomen after the mating flight (but I'm guessing) - but not later in her life. Then, I think, her slimmed-down, or fattened appearance depends on her ovaries - and that depends on whether she's laying and being fed.

I can't tell whether your queen is mated or not!

Confirming the above...I've now seen that early on in the egg laying days of a queen she is still relatively small but observed today ( about three weeks later ), is much bigger.

My small scrub queens failed to mate and lay eggs.

 

[Michael ECB's]

This is one of my queens I photographed yesterday. Most of those I saw were like this. Much more clearly mated.

Now thats a queen, hope she lays as well as she looks...

 

[Antipodes]

This article confirms the observations of Rolande, post #27

Also interesting that the queen cell length did not have any correlation with the weight of the queen emerging from it.

Also, bigger queens from the middle and bottom bar, rather than the top.

http://www.rostohar.nl/wp-content/u...f-honeybee-queens-during-their-maturation.pdf

 

[beeno]

This article confirms the observations of Rolande, post #27

Also interesting that the queen cell length did not have any correlation with the weight of the queen emerging from it.

Also, bigger queens from the middle and bottom bar, rather than the top.

http://www.rostohar.nl/wp-content/u...f-honeybee-queens-during-their-maturation.pdf

It also confirms reason for rapid weight loss post 11 that " During the first three days after emergence, the queen lives of the proteins released from the fat bodies into the hemolymph. She also feeds herself with some nectar as the workers do not know she is there, as she is as yet not producing any pheromones and is thus largely ignored."

 

[Finman]

It also confirms reason for rapid weight loss post 11 that " During the first three days after emergence, the queen lives of the proteins released from the fat bodies into the hemolymph. She also feeds herself with some nectar as the workers do not know she is there, as she is as yet not producing any pheromones and is thus largely ignored."

the

Workers feed the the queen from very beginning. And they feed the queen when it is ready inside the swarm cell. Look the time home At the Petek oh the cell.The queen looses weight after emerging because it empties its gut.

The queen surely shows with with pheromones that it is present.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Well look at this.
What’s the first thing the newly emerged queen does?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gtlcs8ay6gs2qpz/Emerging Virgin Queens.MOV?dl=0

 

[North End Bees]

It also confirms reason for rapid weight loss post 11 that " During the first three days after emergence, the queen lives of the proteins released from the fat bodies into the hemolymph. She also feeds herself with some nectar as the workers do not know she is there, as she is as yet not producing any pheromones and is thus largely ignored."

The article doesn't actually confirm any reasons for the rapid weight loss. It just confirms that it happens.

It doesn't mention either about queens being ignored. However, as food was supplied and attendants weren't introduced until 24-36 hours post-emergence, we can surmise that the researchers expected the new queens to feed themselves.

 

[beeno]

the

Workers feed the the queen from very beginning. And they feed the queen when it is ready inside the swarm cell. Look the time home At the Petek oh the cell.The queen looses weight after emerging because it empties its gut.

The queen surely shows with with pheromones that it is present.

The literature is full of references that the virgin queen is ignored by the workers for the first three days because her pheromones have not kicked in as yet. Perhaps the confusion arises because most people deal with already mated queens? During those 3 days she gets her protein from the fat bodies which are also used during pupal development. The larvae defecates before spinning the cocoon, but it has been fed copiously. However, that is not the case with the pupa, so no input no output is my thought. Yes, I saw the video of the queen that was fed from a hole in the middle of the QC. They would not let her emerge I think was the story, so maybe she was more than 3 days old?

 

[beeno]

Well look at this.
What’s the first thing the newly emerged queen does?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gtlcs8ay6gs2qpz/Emerging Virgin Queens.MOV?dl=0

"She also feeds herself with some nectar as the workers do not know she is there, as she is as yet not producing any pheromones and is thus largely ignored."

 

[beeno]

The article doesn't actually confirm any reasons for the rapid weight loss. It just confirms that it happens.

I read another study to the effect that they live of their fatbodies (protein reserves) for the first 3 days to complete their development until their pheromones kick in and they are fed Royal Jelly by the workers. I am joining up the dots.

 

[Murox]

I read another study to the effect that they live of their fatbodies (protein reserves) for the first 3 days to complete their development until their pheromones kick in and they are fed Royal Jelly by the workers. I am joining up the dots.

Do you have the link please?

 

[beeno]

Do you have the link please?

Thought I had printed it out - sorry.