Superseding colony?

[Curly green finger's]

Think I must have had a touch of sun at the Carreg apiary this morning.
Or I've inadvertently stepped into the matrix again

Blame it on the sun if you like.
I new I’d seen you in the /on the matrix your the black dude with the patch

 

[Sutty]

what on earth is drone substance?!
So all these 'theories' above are just that - and guesswork

I think he meant spermatozoa!!

 

[Sutty]

I wonder if artificial insemination of a DLQ would work to restore egg laying.
If so there would be an evolutionary benefit to further mating flights & that doesn't (seem to) happen.

 

[Oculentum]

I wonder if artificial insemination of a DLQ would work to restore egg laying.

She hasn't stopped egg laying, she's producing eggs aplenty - just not fertilised ones.

 

[ericbeaumont]

drone substance?!

It may be that drone larvae emit a different pheromone from worker, which would enable the colony to adjust production of comb accordingly.

Is this a valid hypothesis? If not, I'm quite happy to pour the tea and put my feet up in the matrix.

 

[Curly green finger's]

It may be that drone larvae emit a different pheromone from worker, which would enable the colony to adjust production of comb accordingly.

Is this a valid hypothesis? If not, I'm quite happy to pour the tea and put my feet up in the matrix.

 

[Antipodes]

It may be that drone larvae emit a different pheromone from worker, which would enable the colony to adjust production of comb accordingly.

Is this a valid hypothesis? If not, I'm quite happy to pour the tea and put my feet up in the matrix.

There are egg marking pheromones apparently, but it seems that the brood ester pheromones and the volatile brood pheromones possibly interact with other pheromones of the queen. There is a suggestion of a "fecundity signal".

Influence of brood pheromone on honey bee colony establishment and queen replacement - PubAg

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s000400050053

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

a 'suggestion' isn't fact or proof, in fact this whole 'theory' comes from the realms of cuckoo land

 

[Anduril]

Haploid and diploid drones, bees can tell the difference and eat the diploids. Science is forever changing, maybe it is down to the lack of research in this area. In 10-20 years theory may become fact. Now where's the door to the matrix? I'll get me coat!