Thursday, December 21, 2006

Giggle

Why Queen Bees are So Darned Promiscuous
by Corey Binns

Seeking extra mates costs a promiscuous queen honeybee energy and time, and it puts her at greater risk of predation and catching venereal diseases. But it doesn't stop her.
For a healthier hive, the queens have sex with multiple males, according to a new study. While one male drone provides all the sperm a queen needs to be fully inseminated, she'll mate with a dozen or more.
So why is this wanton behavior worth the hazards?
"Evidently, one important reason is to generate diverse offspring, something that produces a colony that has higher disease resistance than a colony with offspring from just one father," said Cornell University biologist Thomas Seeley.
Seeley and North Carolina State University entomologist David Tarpy found that a colony fathered by more than one male was better equipped to fight off the infectious American foulbrood disease.


Yeah, it's good for the hive....that's my answer too.

3 comments:

  1. Isn't tomorrow your national orgasm day for world peace or something?

    Shouldn't you be getting ready?

    ReplyDelete
  2. BostonMaggie, You’ve been Christmas tagged!

    http://762justice.com/2006/12/22/christmas-meme/

    ReplyDelete
  3. Baby! I am always ready!

    OK, I took care of your meme!

    ReplyDelete