My first swarm, two years ago, must have been from a nearby apiary and not a wild colony. The bees were larger and built comb in my foundationless frames around 5.4mm. Since then they have been progressively getting smaller, and now they are little bees, some colonies are darker, while others are golden. It does seem the darker bees are a bit smaller than the others.
I am still measuring cell size, and often it is still 5.4mm, such as this pollen comb below. I need to shake off some brood frames and measure those cells. With all these little bees, it has got to be smaller cell.
If you remove the comb that the bees made the year before then they will regress to a smaller size. Check with Michael Bush.
Hi Bob. Interesting looking bees in the pic: the bees look 1/2 causation and 1/2 Italian. That is, grey/black lower abdomen with yellow striped upper abdomen.
Of course I realize one cannot genetically type bees by color. So i am stating as a general observation: phenotype (what ya see) not genotype (what ya got). Cool looking bees, I tell ya.
Good evening, Van.
Unlike you, I have no experience with breeding. All my bees are mutts from swarms. I am still surprised they have not all become a homogenous neutral. Instead, I find golden, grey, black, and all in between.
Quote from: van from Arkansas on June 12, 2021, 08:46:19 PM
Hi Bob. Interesting looking bees in the pic: the bees look 1/2 causation and 1/2 Italian. That is, grey/black lower abdomen with yellow striped upper abdomen.
Of course I realize one cannot genetically type bees by color. So i am stating as a general observation: phenotype (what ya see) not genotype (what ya got). Cool looking bees, I tell ya.
That's a great way to remember that, Mr. Van. The alliteration with Genotype and Got is a helpful mnemonic.
Quote from: Bob Wilson on June 12, 2021, 09:13:11 PM
Good evening, Van.
Unlike you, I have no experience with breeding. All my bees are mutts from swarms. I am still surprised they have not all become a homogenous neutral. Instead, I find golden, grey, black, and all in between.
Mine are the same way, Bob. I get all colors of bees in my hives. My first original packages were locally adapted mutts from organic-only treated stock. I've got myself up to enough hives that I've just started very basic breeding techniques, culling poor queens and replacing them with daughters of my better ones. And who knows what drones they are mating with, so mine could come out really any colors I'd guess.
We find that as bees supersede and swarm, mating with what ever they tend to darken.
Most of the wild bees are darker bees in this area. Most of the swarms we collect are dark bees and the queens are usually replaced for temperament issues.
The local dark bees are good survivors as there is no helping hand when things get tough.
As our bees are always away from the area, so our drones have no influence on the local wild bees.
Quote from: van from Arkansas on June 12, 2021, 08:46:19 PM
That is, grey/black lower abdomen with yellow striped upper abdomen.
They look like the common mutts I am use to.