Yellow bees

[Blacksheep]

Hi: I have a hive which is mixed with some bee which are yellow on the body and the stripes are very light.Any one know what kind they are?They are good workers as they come and go a lot and I see them bring in pollen.

[jayj200]

I have some that look brown. then another hive looking black and smaller

[Blacksheep]

Usually the small black bees are great workers I hear! I think I am going to get more italians I have 1 hive and hope to get some queens from that hive!

[Michael Bush]

Yellow jackets?

[Blacksheep]

No they are honey bees as they work hard and have been bringing in pollen I can see.I have had lots of yellow jackets and most were drown in the oil under the hives they go under there trying to get in and drown in the oil.So many have drown I don't see many any more I hope they gave up!

[little john]

Yellow bees ?  The short answer is that I don't know ...

The somewhat longer answer is that pure yellow bees can be created in the laboratory by genetic manipulation - as the yellow colouration is not due to that colour itself being created, but rather due to the absence of colour (specifically, the absence of melanin) - just like blond hair and blue eyes in humans.  Yellow bees then being the albinos of the bee world.

Perhaps you have somehow gotten yourself some 'very nearly albino' bees somehow ?

LJ

[Michael Bush]

Bees bodies are either black or cordovan.  Their hair varies in color more.  A "yellow" bee (which of course is a brown bee) is usually a cordovan body covered in brown hair.

[little john]

Bees bodies are either black or cordovan. 

That's not my understanding.

The chemical associated with bee body colour is generally thought (by Woyke and others) to be melanin: as the level of melanin increases, the colour of the integument changes from yellow, through shades of brown, to black.

Melanin is produced from tyrosine via a metabolic pathway which is thought to have six steps. These steps are controlled by three pairs of so-called 'polygenes', the level of melanin and it's associated range of colours being quantitative.

In addition to these polygenes, there is a completely separate 'bl' gene, which codes for black when homozygous (same alleles present on both strands of the DNA), and which 'over-rides' whatever colour the polygenes would have created. Thus, a bee will either be Black, or 'Coloured' - with one of the possible colours produced being Black.

There are indeed three known mutants produced from recessive genes: albino, cordovan and 'yellow face'.

LJ

[Michael Bush]

I have seen pictures of albinos but they don't survive.  I've only ever seen Cordovan and black for chitin.  The hair is what varies the most in color.  I can't say what doesn't exist since I can't claim to have seen everything that exists, (i.e. just because I've never seen a black swam does not mean they don't exist) but I've never seen nor heard of any honey bees available in any other colors.