Bizarre Honey Bee Photos
Bizarre things happen in the privacy of a beehive. The casual observer may overlook the more interesting developments because of their rarity; however, sometimes people are lucky enough to see these oddities. Dr. Buddy Marterre, who is intensely involved in NC beekeeping, took these photos of a bee he found crawling outside his hives. Notice anything strange?
These photos demonstrate a rare and interesting occurrence: gynandromorphy in a honey bee, or, in much simpler terms, a honey bee that exhibits both drone and worker characteristics. This occurs when, in the case of this honey bee, the front portion is a haploid drone and the back portion is a diploid worker. It could also occur laterally where the bee is half-and-half.
All users of this website are reminded that any redistribution or copying of copyrighted photos requires the permission of the copyright owner, Dr. Buddy Marterre. You may purchase these photos at his website: http://www.beesnbutterflies.com.
March 2, 2009 • Beekeeping