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Thread: Module 6 - a few one-point questions

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    Senior Member Mellifera Crofter's Avatar
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    Default Module 6 - a few one-point questions

    I have a few one-point questions from previous papers that I can't find answers to. They are:

    - Name one disadvantage of supersedure.

    The examiner did not say from whose point of view - the bees' or the beekeeper's. From the bees' point of view I can't think of any. They have a laying queen although she may be failing, they don't have to face the risks of having to find a new home, and if the new queen doesn't mate successfully - it doesn't really matter. From my point of view, I'm not sure what the bees' intentions are: supersedure or swarming, so I worry - and I don't think that's the answer.

    - A queen assesses whether a cell is suitable for a drone or a worker egg using her: ocelli; anterior metatarsals; tibial spurs; proboscis.

    She can't see in the dark and she doesn't use her legs (I think that's what the two middle terms are about), so that leaves the proboscis - but does she really use her tongue for that? If it wasn't a pick-the-right-answer question, I probably would have guessed her antennae.

    - In a brood nest at its peak size, what are the proportion of eggs to larvae to sealed brood?

    and

    - What electrical phenomenon affects honey bee dances?

    Can anybody help with these, please?
    Kitta

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    Administrator gavin's Avatar
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    Goodness, they're hard. Bear in mind I haven't read any of the coursework, so this is in no way any kind of informed answer .....

    1. Disadvantage of supersedure? Maybe it often happens at a time of year with fewer drones around? Or, as you said, the risk of inappropriate off-season swarming?

    2. She measures with her legs, but I don't know which of the two middle options is right.

    3. Well, the times in the various stages are: 3:6:12 days, so 1:2:4 in a colony at full pelt.

    4. Not a scooby.

    G.

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    Default Module 6 - a few one-point questions

    Can't help with first one but for measuring I would guess at anterior metatarsals - just because they are on the feet rather than legs.

    Electrical phenomenon could be magnetic north.

    Brood ratio is 1:2:4. (From hooper)

    Cx

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    Senior Member Mellifera Crofter's Avatar
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    Thanks Gavin and Easy Beesy. So, I was completely wrong about the way a queen inspects an empty cell. I thought I've seen queens tucking their heads into cells! Thanks for explaining the reason for the ratio - that helps.
    Yes, I suppose magnetic north ...
    Thanks,
    Kitta

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    wow - that's spooky. I'm practising mod6 papers this morning as well, and have had to resort to google to get answers to exactly the same questions!

    I think the electrical phenomenon *could* be weather. Here's a link to to a BeeWorld article in 1976 that explores the effect of electrical charge. It doesn't actually say that the dances are affected, but it certainly seems reasonable that the crackly atmosphere just before a storm might, and bees definitely are sensitive to the weather.

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    I'm not doing Mod 6 but the electrical phenomenon might be a thunderstorm. I.e. an electric storm as they are often called.
    It's well known they are bad tempered when thunder's about.
    Last edited by Black Comb; 04-11-2012 at 03:01 PM. Reason: Spelling

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    Senior Member Mellifera Crofter's Avatar
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    Thanks, Thada and Black Comb. I'll read the paper asap. I did wonder about thunder and lightning but decided against it because I thought it's not foraging weather, and therefore they won't be dancing - or maybe that's the effect: they stopped dancing!
    Kitta

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    How about Northern Lights? CMEs can knock out communications, etc., so maybe bees could be affected ... and they would be out foraging if combined with a sunny day.

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    Was doing this paper today (before I found this thread) and was scratching my head at a couple of these. Any of our resident experts going to weigh in?

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    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    The main disadvantage of supersedure (from the beekeeper point of view) is that the bees are choosing the queen rather than the beekeeper.
    The colony may have heritable traits which you don't want to propagate.
    Also, if you keep a pure race of bee and they supersede the queen you may well end up with a new queen mated with mongrel or different race drones which will be an unknown quantity in terms of temper and handling.

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