Genetics of a mixed hive.

[Daz the Drone]

I have nearly completed a trap-out using a swarm that I caught a month ago and it has only now occured to me that the two swarms that I have combined have very different characteristics.
The original swarm has a smallish body and a darker color and is fairly gentle, compared to the larger more aggressive and lighter colored trapped bees.
My question is, what genetics do you think I'll end up with and how will this happen?  e.g. will the bigger drones die b4 they get to mate? etc'

All answers, greatly appreciated.

[AllenF]

I guess you have a queen already in the trap hive from the swarm, right? 

[Daz the Drone]

I guess you have a queen already in the trap hive from the swarm, right? 

Yes AllenF, the trap hive is queen right.    In the question above, I have assumed (very dangerous, I know) that the trapped queen has not entered the trap hive, but has instead swarmed elsewhere or is still inside the trap-out, although, the later is looking more unlikely day by day as I have not seen anything exiting for some days.


Thanks.

[AllenF]

When she comes out, it will be in a swarm with what few bees are left in the hive.   Put up a swarm trap or two and you might get her.   She will not enter another queen's hive. 

[fish_stix]

To answer the original question, your bees will have the genetics of whichever queen is in residence in the hive plus the genetics of the drones that she mated with. If she gets superseded or swarms you will get the old queens genetics plus the genetics of drones the old queen mated with plus the genetics of drones the new queen open mates with. And so on, and so on, and so on! If all this concerns you, just buy a queen of known genetics and replace the old queen.

[Daz the Drone]

Thanks fish stix.
Guess what I want to know now is will the drones from the trap-out get the opportunity to mate with my hive queen in their lifetime or will the genetics of the trapped bees die out?


Thanks.

[AllenF]

Your queen should already be mated.   There is just a short period of time she can mate, then she is mated (or knocked up) for life.   If she is laying worker brood, then she is good.  The drones are out for a virgin queen.

[fish_stix]

As AllenF says; if you have a laying queen she has done all the mating she's ever going to do. She mates with numerous drones a few days after emerging and receives enough sperm to last her lifetime. The drones in that hive, and other hives, will try to mate with other virgin queens in the local area but most of them will die horny and "unfulfilled."  Briefly, the drones fly out, usually in the afternoon, to a Drone Congregation Area (DCA) and wait for virgin queens to enter the area. They then pursue the queen in a cloud of drones and the strongest and fastest get to mate, and then the next strongest and so on, until she's mated with 12-25 or so drones. As with other matings in nature it's "selection of the fittest." As winter approaches the bees will force most drones out of the hive so that the drones are not consuming stores that are needed for brood, the queen, and the workers.  ;)

[Michael Bush]

Bee reproduction is geared toward diversity.  The multiple drones, the differences in flying distances.  Genetics do change over time because of this.  And they should.

[Daz the Drone]

All good then.   The more agressive genetics will/should die off with the trapped out drones.   I'm a pacifist!!  :roll:


Many thanks for your time and expertise.