Effect of location within the nest on acceptance of queen cells in honeybee colonies
Author(s)
P. Kirk Visscher
Abstract
The probability that an egg in a queen cell cup will be reared as a potential queen in a honeybee (Apis mellifera) colony depends on its location within the rearing colony. Eggs in cells near the centre are reared more frequently than those on the edges, and those near the top of the frame more frequently than those lower down. The importance of this effect is greater when bees are more selective among potential queens; when larvae are grafted into queen-cell cups acceptance is greater than when eggs are used, and there is a non-significant tendency for cells near the centre to be accepted in preference to those near the edges.
Keywords
Queen rearing, location of queen cells, queen cells
