"Survivor bees" found in Blenheim Forest

[Murox]

I am sure they will manage to attract some money with their "Wacky Wizardry."

 

[Ian123]

Those DNA results are taking quite some time, Morse never had to wait this long!!! Or perhaps they are just requiring the correct interpretation before releasing to the world

 

[Bumbling Keeper]

This is normal. Swarms often contain multiple queens.

Do you mean actual flying swarms frequently have more than one queen, or just that a colony preparing to swarm can have multiple queens? I've certainly seen the latter, but was unaware that flying swarms often have multiple queens. I've not heard anyone say that before.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Do you mean actual flying swarms frequently have more than one queen,

Yes, cast swarms often do - common knowledge

 

[Finman]

Do you mean actual flying swarms frequently have more than one queen, or just that a colony preparing to swarm can have multiple queens? I've certainly seen the latter, but was unaware that flying swarms often have multiple queens. I've not heard anyone say that before.

I am second to say, that a swarm can have several queens. Of course it is so because you can see those queens only after landing.

 

[Ian123]

Do you mean actual flying swarms frequently have more than one queen, or just that a colony preparing to swarm can have multiple queens? I've certainly seen the latter, but was unaware that flying swarms often have multiple queens. I've not heard anyone say that before.

Yes many flying swarms will have multiple queens.

 

[Finman]

Those DNA results are taking quite some time, Morse never had to wait this long!!! Or perhaps they are just requiring the correct interpretation before releasing to the world

Why you need Blenheim bee's DNA?

Is that enough, that Blenheim Palace is an isolated place in the centre of England, where bees were found last summer suddenly.

 

[Finman]

Winnie-The-Pooh had too ancient isolated 200 acre forest and he/she had beehives hanging on tree branches.

 

[Bumbling Keeper]

LETS LOOK REALISM

400 acre is 1.6 square kilometre =160 ha.
If radius is 1 km, area is 3.14 km2.

Average foraging distance is 2 km
3.14 x 4 = 12 km2 = foraging area. The forest is 10% from that.

50 colonies in the forest. Plus surrounding colonies.

It is clear, that honeydew of oak trees cannot feed hives all the summer. And bees must get pollen from flowers.

It is not take much time to fly outside the forest. It depends how nest hole is situated in the forest. However, location analysis of the secret bee colonies was not correct in the article.

But old oaks offer nest holes, and it is not long distance to foragers fly outside the forest.

So, the oak forest cannot be a reason to offer new unknown ecotype to bees, which devide the genepools from surrounding bees.. The bees basic instinc says, that they must forage in various flower species not only in one type . And they have a short flying trip outside the forest.

If we think 16 hectare rape field, it is not much.
When you put 10 hives on the side of the field, you find the bees forage in the nearest side of the field, but nothing on the opposite side.

Is there any other reason to disconect the small patch from surrounding environment? No, it is not possible.

CONCLUSION: I say that the oak forest is not a reason, that some new subspecies can differientate in that small forest patch. It propably offers much nesting holes to colonies. That is not a reason to differientate from the surrounding genepool of honeybees and from drone mating swarms . Very short distance to bees to fly outside the forest. Under 1 km.

But the story is good.

...unless they genuinely are a new-found subspecies that really doesn't interact with Apis melifera... Jus sayin

 

[Erichalfbee]

Why you need Blenheim bee's DNA?

Proof

 

[Bumbling Keeper]

Yes, cast swarms often do - common knowledge

Living and learning - I'd never heard that before and just assumed that the casts got smaller because the swarming bees just hived off on their chosen queen, so if several emerged at once they'd go their seperate ways at that point. Thanks.

 

[Finman]

Proof

To spoil a good story

 

[Finman]

Living and learning - I'd never heard that before and just assumed that the casts got smaller because the swarming bees just hived off on their chosen queen, so if several emerged at once they'd go their seperate ways at that point. Thanks.

First swarm leaves with old laying queen, when first queen cells are capped.

After a week first swarm cells start to emerge. First virgin emerge and it runs on the combs and peeps.
Other virgins stay inside their cells. They peep inside the cells. They have a small pin size hole in the cap, from where workers can feed the virgins.

Virgins stay inside the cells 2-3 days, and they are ready to flye, when they come out.

When the cast leaves, the rest virgins come out and start to kill each other. And to kill the rest queens cells too.

 

[Boston Bees]

Winnie-The-Pooh had too ancient isolated 200 acre forest and he/she had beehives hanging on tree branches.

Finnie-The-Pooh would make a great children's story book I think (with the appropriate explicit-language warnings on of course)

 

[mbc]

They have a small pin size hole in the cap, from where workers can feed the virgins.

Fascinating, not heard this before, thanks Finman

 

[Erichalfbee]

Other virgins stay inside their cells. They peep inside the cells. They have a small pin size hole in the cap, from where workers can feed the virgins.

I knew the workers could keep the new queens imprisoned but I though they just corralled them inside the cell. Thanks for the info...really interesting. It makes sense though. I've seen multiple virgins emerge when the brood nest was disturbed and they did all just emerge rather than jump out of the cell

 

[Ian123]

Fascinating, not heard this before, thanks Finman

After periods of bad weather I’ve gone into hives and you’ll find bees literally sitting on the cells holding virgins in. As soon as you disturb the frames you have virgins popping out all over the place

 

[mbc]

After periods of bad weather I’ve gone into hives and you’ll find bees literally sitting on the cells holding virgins in. As soon as you disturb the frames you have virgins popping out all over the place

Yeah, I hadn't realised that the virgins were actively fed in their cells though.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Makes me wonder how much more we contribute to secondary swarms by us disturbing colonys?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Makes me wonder how much more we contribute to secondary swarms by us disturbing colonys?

Timely disturbance is key. Losing a prime is bad enough. Losing any more is less excusable