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The aim of this study was to check whether honey bee drones are also injured. We also compared the degree of injury to drones in own and stranger colonies. Drones were stored in mailing cages in their own colonies and stranger colonies. The number of injuries and the death rate were checked twice, after 3 and 7 days of storage. In total, over 4,608 drones were examined. Nine different types of injuries were observed for the drones, with leg injuries being the most common - lack of segments of tarsus (ca. 70-75% of all injuries). Other types of injuries included black arolia, missing arolia, wing and antenna injuries. The research showed that drones stored in bee colonies suffer injuries just like queens and worker bees do, though to a significantly lesser extent. This study also showed that storage of drones in mailing cages resulted in very high mortality of 62 to 75%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was conducted in 2008 and 2010 in the experimental apiary of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. Worker bees were stored in transport cages in their own colonies and stranger colonies. The number of injuries and the death rate were checked twice, after 3 and 7 days of storage. In total, 6720 bees were examined (3360 workers from their own colonies and the same number from stranger colonies). The number of injured and dead workers had an exponential distribution (skewness>1). The worker bees sustained significantly more leg injuries (missing leg segments - 92 - 96%) than injuries of arolia (13 - 15%), wings (1 - 7%) or antennae (1 - 2). Worker bees stored in stranger colonies were injured significantly more frequently than worker bees stored in their own colonies. A significantly greater number of bees died in stranger colonies than in own colonies. The fact that bees stored in own colonies were injured proves that, even if they have the same smell, bees kept in cages provoke aggressive behavior from bees belonging to the banking colony.

The aim of this study was to develop an effective method of overwintering reserve honey bee queens in two-storey mini-plus mating nuclei and in 3-comb nuclei (frames 36 x 26 cm, Wielkopolski hive). The assay was performed during three wintering seasons (2005 - 2008) parallel at two centers in Poland: the Division of Apiculture at the University of Life Sciences (SGGW) in Warsaw, and the Apiculture Division at the University of Warmia and Mazury (UWM) in Olsztyn. The results showed that 59% of queens overwintered in mini-plus nuclei and 77% in 3-comb nuclei. Among queens in mini-plus nuclei 63% overwintered in bee yard and only 55% in cellar. Within queens in 3-comb nuclei, 62% overwintered in Olsztyn and 91% in Warsaw. The highest survival rate of 93% was observed in Warsaw during the first season. Due to low survival rate, it is not recommended to overwinter the queens in miniplus nuclei.