queen succession and replacement

population size

the ability of the colony to produce queen cells is dictated by overall _______

grafting

transfer of larvae from a natural brood comb to prepared artificial queen cell cups using a specialized tool

Gilbert M. Doolittle

considered the father of modern commercial queen rearing

chinese grafting tool

has a wooden handle and flexible quill tip used for transfer of larvae from the original cell to the cell cup

grafting frames

frames typically featuring three removable bars designed to accommodate 15 cell cups

internal feeder

used to provide syrup to the cell-building colony

24 hours old or less

the larvae used for grafting

inter-cast queen

partially queen, partially worker

day 4

when is the queen cell sealed

queen bank

a functioning honey bee colony that has been intentionally de-queened used to temporarily house and care for multiple young queens simultaneously

piping

a specific sonic signal or a series of sonic beeps lasting about two seconds

resistance to Varroa destructor

main goal for most honey bee breeders

grooming 

bees removing mites from themselves

12 to 15 days post emergence

sexual maturity of drones

alleles

these are different phenotypic characters, such as color or behavioral characteristics

queen bee

the central figure of the colony due to her reproductive and chemical roles

queen pheromone

a variable mixture of several chemical signals essential for colony to function

retinue

nurse bees who groom her, offer her jelly, and distribute her pheromones throughout the colony.

10 to 14 days after emergence

typical time that the queen will lay eggs

supersedure

the process by which a colony normally replaces an aging or failing queen

queen failure

the most common cause of colony loss

swarming

the process where a colony divides itself and exits the original cavity

spring time

the typical occurence of swarming, given the right condition

prime swarm

the first swarm that leaves containing the original mated queen

afterswarms

if the colony is still too large for the cavity, one or more virgin queens leave

setae

one of the methods for estimating a queen’s age

20 days

complete one brood cycle

usurpation swarm

an event where a swarm of honey bees invades another colony and replaces the resident queen with their own queen

totipotent

capable of developing into either caste

hopelessly queenless

a colony is unsuccessful at producing at least one successfully mated replacement queen

queenright

the colony contains a functioning, laying queen

queenless

the colony lacs a laying queen but is still within the window of opportunity for succession

eggs and larvae

indication of a reproductive queen

centering and no misses; glued upright and slightly tilted

a nice egg-laying pattern

queen cells of some stage present or a virgin queen

primary indicator for a colony in the process of self-requeening

storing nectar and pollen in the center combs

signs of failure of self-requeening or queenlessness

truly queenless for more than 5 days and does not have emergency cells in progress

criteria for hopelessly queenless status