The contents of the brood comb, including eggs, larvae, prepupae, capped worker pupae, capped drone pupae, pollen storage cells and finally empty brood cells were recorded. As the condition of each cell was determined the cell’s position and content were noted using the Microsoft Excel platform. The entire brood populations from 10 colonies were counted to determine the immature population of drones relative to workers. This study investigates male (drone) production by the giant honey bee (Apis dorsata F.). The probabilities of a second swarming cycle within the same year and of surviving the winter were low for colonies initiated from swarms. High drone production by colonies initiated by swarms probably reflected an attempt to reproduce prior to winter. Drone emergence peaked just prior to swarming, the time when unmated queens were available. Offspring queens which inherited a parental nest survived longer than queens in either primary swarms or afterswarms, presumably due to the advantage of inheriting a nest.Ĥ. Worker production of hived swarms was positively correlated with colony survival. Swarm size was positively correlated with drone and worker production after swarms were hived. However, colony size at swarming was not correlated with the number of offspring colonies produced.ģ. Colony size at swarming was positively correlated with the number of workers invested in offspring colonies and the number of queens produced. Also, the temporal patterns of drone emergence and availability of unmated queens were examined.Ģ. Drone and worker production and survival of parental and offspring colonies were monitored following swarming. The effects of colony size and time of reproduction on the survival and size of offspring colonies and on drone production were examined for honey bees, Apis mellifera L.

Colony survival game size