BROOD REARING IN OUTDOOR WINTERED HONEY-BEE COLONIES

A study on a total of 28 outdoor wintered colonies was conducted in Beaverlodge, Alberta. Two colonies were killed every 21 days from November to April for two consecutive winters, 1990-1991 and 1991-1992. Number of eggs, larvae, pupae and adult bees and the weight per bee were determined for each colony. While the average adult bee population declined from 24,370 to 10,330, the average number of brood cells increased from 299 to 4,328, from November to April, respectively. There were significant positive correlations between the duration of wintering and the following factors: number of eggs (r=0.46), number of larvae (r=0.57), number of pupae (r=0.65), total number of brood cells occupied (r=0.62) and weight of adult bees (r=0.48). A negative correlation was found with the number of adult worker bees and the duration of wintering (r=0.69). The weight per bee increased from 105 mg. to 120 mg. from November to February. No pupae were found in the colonies in November.