Effects of honeybee queen weight and air temperature on the initiation of oviposition 

The onset of oviposition of 1396 queens reared in two years in the Peace River region of Alberta, Canada, ranged from 4 to 22 days after emergence, with a mean of 10.6 ± 0.1 days. There was evidence to suggest that some queens may start to lay eggs within 24 h after mating. No consistent correlation was found between queen weight at emergence and the onset of oviposition. Mean weight of queens was 211.2 ± 0.7 mg (range 160-266 mg) in 1981 and 222.6 ± 0.06 mg (range 173-273 mg) in 1982. There was a close association between maximum daily temperature and time of oviposition. A large number of queens mated at temperatures below 25°C.