Valve Fold

[Monsieur Abeille]

edit^edit: BTW^BTW much prefer the new avatar!!!!

Remind you of autopsy 101?

 

[drstitson]

"Another query that came up - how does she know that one type of large cell requires a drone egg but another type of large cell (queen cell) requires a fertilised egg?"

two things spring to mind (how i see it).

firstly, assume the following holds true: worker cell - legs together - fertilise; drone cell - legs gaping - don't fertilise. presumably queen has to squat in yet another way to lay in a queen cup.

secondly - remember the fertilisation process/machinery is not as precise an on/off mechanism as suggested by reading. SO yes, once a queen enters a field of drone cells she switches into firing blanks mode BUT pipework not purged of sperm so next egg or two or more will be fertilised. same situation applies on encountering a queen cup in a field of worker cells - natural carryover still applies even if queen doesn't actively fertilise.

take a look a pictures of queens laying (eg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3236/2680055079_72390d38a4.jpg or http://natgeotv.com.au/content/cache/525x800/natgeosnap/8052.jpg). you can imagine that her legs are sensing the scale of the surrounding cells NOT the cell itself. presumably as a queen cup does not have the same geometric surroundings she does not get the cues that drone brood give her specifically.

 

[susbees]

I’ll give them all a whirl. But I wont be too surprised if I have to reshow on some next year; hopefully not all. Susbees, are doing two modules in Mar?

Yup, 2 & 7...

 

[susbees]

Gents,

I would assume you have discovered the good work done by Mid-Bucks Beekeepers.

But, just in case

http://blog.mbbka.org.uk/category/education/bbka-module-7/

Hmm....aside from the usual inaccuracies, the number of unattributed cut-and-pastes in the Bucks Notes notes are not very impressive. Are they from Bucks BKA...I'm pretty sure the whole lot are also on a Lancashire? BKA website?

 

[Hivemaker.]

natural carryover still applies even if queen doesn't actively fertilise.

A colony in swarming mode completely devoid of any open brood,in which all queen cells have been broken down,yet within a couple of days they can have plenty of queen cups built, with an egg in each,yet no eggs layed in any worker or drone cells.

I agree with Dan,orientation.

 

[Easy Beesy]

HM & Dan
Ok, as suspected, orientation covers fertilised egg in q cell but still not got EXACTLY what triggers fertilised/non-fertilised egg in worker/drone cell - measuring and 'thought' process or autonomic reaction to splayed legs?
Sorry to be thick
Eb

 

[Black Comb]

Well in Yates, in the Mod 5 (not the Mod 7!) notes they say Koeniger's experiments in 1970 showed that as the queen measures the cell size with her front legs she receives a stimulus which prevents the release of sperm from the spermatheca. (5.13.1, 2010 edition).

 

[beepeggy]

In Bee Craft for February 2012 there is a diagram which explains it all...

 

[Easy Beesy]

Beepeggy - diagram does not show/explain the process of 'choosing' fertilised or non-fertilised egg in different sized cells - but thanks anyway
Eb