Welsh Black bees and Buckfast offspring?

[Teilo Sant]

Five weeks ago I bought a six brood frame nucleus of Welsh Black bees with a 2022 queen.
They were all the typical small black bees.
However, now five weeks later, these small bees have been replaced by larger ones, similar in size and colour to Buckfast bees.
Of course, a queen will have mated with several drones.
But does anyone know whether a queen will have fertilized the worker eggs using semen from the various drones with which she mated in a random fashion?
Or does this occur in the order in which she was mated, which might account for the change in the bees?

 

[Wilco]

Is it possible they gave you a nuc recently made of frames from a different queen so the workers from that were dark, then added the queen you have and she's been open mated so as her offspring come through you're getting the change?

Just a lot of nucs for sale at the moment look like they're a bunch of random frames with a new queen thrown in.

 

[Teilo Sant]

I was told that the nucleus was an overwintered one, with its last year’s queen.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I'd have expected an overwintered nuc to have been in a hive with at least a couple of supers on by now.

 

[Teilo Sant]

I'd have expected an overwintered nuc to have been in a hive with at least a couple of supers on by now.

Yes, they are.

 

[Ian123]

What was the nuc advertised as?

 

[Teilo Sant]

What was the nuc advertised as?

6 Frame Welsh Black Locally Adapted Bees Nuc Over wintered Nucleus​

 

[jeff33]

6 Frame Welsh Black Locally Adapted Bees Nuc Over wintered Nucleus​

Try to cram as many buzzwords in a sentence as you can . I read it as 6 frames local mongrels.... hence perhaps colouring of your bees. I would agree with Wilco though.

 

[Ian123]

Try to cram as many buzzwords in a sentence as you can . I read it as 6 frames local mongrels.... hence perhaps colouring of your bees. I would agree with Wilco though.

I read it as……..I’ve just imported a load of early May queens so split off some from last years double brood sized colonies that I’m not really sure what they are and sold on last years queen

Maybe I’m just a middle aged cynic

 

[Garry R]

I read it as……..I’ve just imported a load of early May queens so split off some from last years double brood sized colonies that I’m not really sure what they are and sold on last years queen

Maybe I’m just a middle aged cynic

I like your admission that you are the middle aged cynic. By the time you are my age you will be the completed article - the perfect grumpy old man as you inevitably turn into, firstly, your Dad and ultimately, your Grandpa. I have done the course and to be honest it is truly wonderful. Youth won't listen and I can't hear them now!!

 

[jeff33]

I like your admission that you are the middle aged cynic. By the time you are my age you will be the completed article - the perfect grumpy old man as you inevitably turn into, firstly, your Dad and ultimately, your Grandpa. I have done the course and to be honest it is truly wonderful. Youth won't listen and I can't hear them now!!

Crikey, that's a downer if I consider how grumpy my dad is and how grumpy my grandad was.... I may need to prepare for a late divorce or my own murder!

 

[drex]

To answer the OP's question. Sperm is not use sequentially. It is thoroughly mixed in the spermatheca.

Why was an overwintered nuc performing so poorly that they were still in a nuc box in middle of May? Something is not right here

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Try to cram as many buzzwords in a sentence as you can . I read it as 6 frames local mongrels.... hence perhaps colouring of your bees.

nothing but local mongrels with more Buckie than Welsh Black

 

[jeff33]

Why was an overwintered nuc performing so poorly that they were still in a nuc box in middle of May? Something is not right here

It has to be an AS split with the old queen after a swarming attempt. Made a few of these last month and went from 2-6 frames pretty quick.