Bee genepools...

[Cockatoo]

Ok so a queen lays the eggs from one mating right?
So the whole hive is from one set of genes?
And when a new queen is produced, she is a daughter of the original.
And all the rest are the same genepool of the original.
How can there be genetic diversity?

I'm new at this and am curious.
I know about aviaries as birds are my thing.
And bird genetics.

[BjornBee]

The queen mates with up to 12 to 15 drones. That allows a diversity of genetics, which helps with disease resistance in regards to bet-hedging the odds.

[Cockatoo]

Where do the drones get their genes from?
Are they from other hives?
Do the hives "recruit" new drones?

[BjornBee]

Where do the drones get their genes from?
Are they from other hives?
Do the hives "recruit" new drones?

Drones of various hives are dispersed in a wide area. Drone from other hives will seek out hives that are requeening, and are readily accepted into any hive during the spring and summer months. I would not say hives "recruit" but there is no doubt drones are attracted to hives ready to swarm or supersede.

You must remember that many of these traits are imprinted over thousands of years. This collecting of drones in hives ready to replace a queen makes sense, although it goes against traditional thinking that the queen always goes beyond the flight range of the drone. I think drones somehow congregate inside known hives ready to send out virgins, and reality is that a queen in fact does NOT fly as far as most propose. In nature, there may be vast space between feral colonies. The idea that drones would seek out and hang inside hives waiting for virgins to go on mating flights makes sense, and that is what I observe time and again.

The queen's objective is to mate with a many drones possible from as many other hives other than her own.

[Cockatoo]

Now that makes sense.
Otherwise, there would be very little genetic diversity.
Leaving species open to annihilation from diseases.

[BjornBee]

Now that makes sense.
Otherwise, there would be very little genetic diversity.
Leaving species open to annihilation from diseases.

Just be careful as you ask these type questions moving forward and start formulating your own knowledge based on experience. To even go against the "known" information posted in book after book from academia types, will mean stepping on toes and leading to a black listing of sorts. But you can just call me BlackBjorn.....aaarrrrggg!  :-D  Where's that pirate smilie when you need it... ;)

[TwT]

Now that makes sense.
Otherwise, there would be very little genetic diversity.
Leaving species open to annihilation from diseases.

Just be careful as you ask these type questions moving forward and start formulating your own knowledge based on experience. To even go against the "known" information posted in book after book from academia types, will mean stepping on toes and leading to a black listing of sorts. But you can just call me BlackBjorn.....aaarrrrggg!  :-D  Where's that pirate smilie when you need it... ;)

I am sure Bjorn knows his stuff, he been doing it for more years than me so I would go by him!! you don't know the black list like I do, some on here say things like they read an I respect that but when they say something I can disagree with because I seen different from my own circumstances and I don't mean to be rude but if I have seen something different then what is posted I will be one of the first to say so!!!!!!!   its nothing personal,  just what I have seen, I don't care to post a post that I ain't sure of the answer and I will very very very seldom post from what I learned reading a book, only what I seen and experienced about 99 % of the time!!!! that's my way to try to show others what I have seen and done to solve it!!!!!!!!

[BeeHopper]

Since we're on the subject of gene pools, would the offspring of the newly Mated Queen and the 12-15 drones relfect the markings ( bands and colors, etc.) of the Drones more than the Queen in addition to the Genetics ?  I have noticed in some hives varying colors and sizes of workers and drones. 

[SlickMick]

Just observing this morning the landing board of my feral hive that I brought in yesterday. A great range of colours, striping and no doubt other characteristics that I would suspect that the virgin queen has been rather flirtatious in her selection of a mate(s)

[BjornBee]

Since we're on the subject of gene pools, would the offspring of the newly Mated Queen and the 12-15 drones relfect the markings ( bands and colors, etc.) of the Drones more than the Queen in addition to the Genetics ?  I have noticed in some hives varying colors and sizes of workers and drones. 

Yes, different offspring will be seen. This is a blending of the sperm, which  impacts as cockatoo mentioned, guarding against annihilation of any one particular disease. It's nature's way of hedging the odds, that something, or some combination, will always survive.

The drone population of any particular hive should all be the same color. This is due to the genes coming from the queen alone, and no sperm being used (Unfertilized egg for drones) But you can see many times as proof of the mixing of drones from various hives, that many different drones can be found inside any one particular hive.

[tlynn]

Where do the drones get their genes from?
Are they from other hives?
Do the hives "recruit" new drones?

Drones of various hives are dispersed in a wide area. Drone from other hives will seek out hives that are requeening, and are readily accepted into any hive during the spring and summer months. I would not say hives "recruit" but there is no doubt drones are attracted to hives ready to swarm or supersede.

You must remember that many of these traits are imprinted over thousands of years. This collecting of drones in hives ready to replace a queen makes sense, although it goes against traditional thinking that the queen always goes beyond the flight range of the drone. I think drones somehow congregate inside known hives ready to send out virgins, and reality is that a queen in fact does NOT fly as far as most propose. In nature, there may be vast space between feral colonies. The idea that drones would seek out and hang inside hives waiting for virgins to go on mating flights makes sense, and that is what I observe time and again.

The queen's objective is to mate with a many drones possible from as many other hives other than her own.

That would explain why I found lots of drones in a hive that recently superceeded.

[eri]

I have a followup question. I was told by a beek recently that a queen will not mate with drones hatched from her own hive, but it seems I read somewhere that they will, thus producing "super sisters." What if there are no other drones in the area from other colonies? Can you verify (from your experience) that a queen will mate with her own offspring or not?

[Michael Bush]

>I was told by a beek recently that a queen will not mate with drones hatched from her own hive, but it seems I read somewhere that they will, thus producing "super sisters."

A drone tends to fly about a mile while the queen tends to fly further.  That does not preclude a queen mating with drones from her hive, it just lessens the chances.

> What if there are no other drones in the area from other colonies?

A very unlikely occurrence, in my observation, but if so the likelihood of her  mating with her own drones would increase greatly.

>Can you verify (from your experience) that a queen will mate with her own offspring or not?

My observations would only be speculation based on colors of bees I've had (black Carniolans, cordovan Italians, Brown Italians etc.).  There were no cordovans around here until I got some and a lot of the offspring from the black queens ended up with cordovan drones and workers.  So I'm pretty sure the drones the queen mated with were from my yard.