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Author Topic: Pic of a 3.7 year queen, spermatheca.  (Read 1495 times)

Offline van from Arkansas

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Pic of a 3.7 year queen, spermatheca.
« on: October 02, 2019, 12:19:49 pm »
As most are aware, I experienced Colony collapse disorder, CCD, posted on the thread HIVE CRASH.  I was hand feeding the queen in an incubator but she died last night.


The spermatheca is the holding organ of the queen bee that stores the drones spermatozoa.
The question arose is the queen still fertile after 3.7 years?  The queen laying pattern was so spotted laying one egg in fifty cells.  So I removed the spermatheca and took pics.  A spermatheca that is clear is considered virgin or in other words a clear spermatheca is indicative of the absence of spermatozoa.

I removed the spermatheca intact and placed on the thorax for viewing.  This spermatheca is WHITE indicating a healthy still functional organ.



Van
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I have been around bees a long time, since birth.  I am a hobbyist so my answers often reflect this fact.  I concentrate on genetics, raise my own queens by wet graft, nicot, with natural or II breeding.  I do not sell queens, I will give queens  for free but no shipping.

Offline van from Arkansas

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Re: Pic of a 3.7 year queen, spermatheca.
« Reply #1 on: October 02, 2019, 12:20:28 pm »
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I have been around bees a long time, since birth.  I am a hobbyist so my answers often reflect this fact.  I concentrate on genetics, raise my own queens by wet graft, nicot, with natural or II breeding.  I do not sell queens, I will give queens  for free but no shipping.

Offline Nock

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Re: Pic of a 3.7 year queen, spermatheca.
« Reply #2 on: October 02, 2019, 01:29:31 pm »
Interesting.
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Offline The15thMember

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Re: Pic of a 3.7 year queen, spermatheca.
« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2019, 02:04:38 pm »
Great pictures, as always, Mr. Van. 
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Offline van from Arkansas

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Re: Pic of a 3.7 year queen, spermatheca.
« Reply #4 on: October 02, 2019, 02:28:55 pm »


Spermatheca of a 1 year old queen.  Her hive did not make it through the winter 2017, Varroa weaken with small cluster.  To small a cluster to keep warm.  I autopsy to determine if the queen was fertile, thinking that my be cause of the small cluster.
Van
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I have been around bees a long time, since birth.  I am a hobbyist so my answers often reflect this fact.  I concentrate on genetics, raise my own queens by wet graft, nicot, with natural or II breeding.  I do not sell queens, I will give queens  for free but no shipping.

Online Ben Framed

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Re: Pic of a 3.7 year queen, spermatheca.
« Reply #5 on: October 02, 2019, 03:39:11 pm »
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Offline incognito

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Re: Pic of a 3.7 year queen, spermatheca.
« Reply #6 on: October 02, 2019, 06:28:12 pm »
Quote from: van from Arkansas on October 02, 2019, 12:19:49 pm
This spermatheca is WHITE indicating a healthy still functional organ.
So that makes me wonder what the shelf life of the spermatozoa is...and so many other questions about the fertilization process where things could go wrong resulting in a non-viable egg.


Keep sharing!


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Tom

Offline Acebird

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Re: Pic of a 3.7 year queen, spermatheca.
« Reply #7 on: October 03, 2019, 08:53:00 am »
Spotty brood does not necessarily mean eggs were not laid.
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Online Michael Bush

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Re: Pic of a 3.7 year queen, spermatheca.
« Reply #8 on: October 03, 2019, 10:50:16 am »
>Spotty brood does not necessarily mean eggs were not laid.

Correct.  Usually it means they were removed.
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Offline van from Arkansas

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Re: Pic of a 3.7 year queen, spermatheca.
« Reply #9 on: October 03, 2019, 12:09:17 pm »


Just so ya know what I am calling spotty brood.  Total 3 frames, just like the one pictured.
Van
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I have been around bees a long time, since birth.  I am a hobbyist so my answers often reflect this fact.  I concentrate on genetics, raise my own queens by wet graft, nicot, with natural or II breeding.  I do not sell queens, I will give queens  for free but no shipping.

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Pic of a 3.7 year queen, spermatheca.
« Reply #10 on: October 03, 2019, 02:15:41 pm »
Good photos. With a high might infestation brought into a hive  and good hygienic bees, that is probably what caused that poor looking brood pattern.
Jim Altmiller
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Offline van from Arkansas

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Re: Pic of a 3.7 year queen, spermatheca.
« Reply #11 on: October 03, 2019, 02:48:28 pm »
Mites, oh yes, a constant battle.  When I open a few capped cells, the mites started running.  So did I to the freezer.
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I have been around bees a long time, since birth.  I am a hobbyist so my answers often reflect this fact.  I concentrate on genetics, raise my own queens by wet graft, nicot, with natural or II breeding.  I do not sell queens, I will give queens  for free but no shipping.
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