-Adult drone honey bees from 4 Australian breeding lines were reared under similar conditions and examined for semen and sperm production when 14, 21 and 35 days old, during spring, summer and autumn. Almost half (40.5%) of all drones examined did not release any semen when manually everted. For those that released semen, the average volume released per drone was 1.09 μL (range 0.72 (±0.04)-1.12 (±0.04) μL) and the average number of sperms in the semen per drone was 3.63 × 10 6 (range 1.88 (±0.14)-4.11 (±0.17) × 10 6 ). The release of semen was dependent on breeding line and age (P < 0.05), but not on the rearing season. The volume of semen released per drone was dependent on season, age, and breeding line (P < 0.05), while the concentration of sperm in the semen was dependent on season and breeding line (P < 0.05). Hence our data indicate that genetics underpins the maturation of drone honey bees as well as the volume of semen they release and the concentration of sperm in that semen.Apis mellifera / drones / semen production / sperm

-The survival of honey bee Apis mellifera queens to 14 days and 15 weeks after introduction into an established bee colony increases with increasing age of the queen at introduction. Survival rates increased strongly to high levels for queen bees introduced between 7 and 24 days of age and at a slower rate for queens introduced at ages up to 35 days. The survival rates were similar for sister queens introduced into two unrelated apiaries suggesting that apiary site and beekeeper management differences had minimal effect on survival rates. A year effect was found but the response to increasing age was similar for the three years.

In a field trial, significant increases for the total number of bolls harvested (11.1%), total mass of bolls (16.5%), total lint mass (15.8%), total seed mass (19.7%) and total number of seeds per sample (16.5%) were obtained from plots receiving the highest number of bee visits compared with plots receiving the lowest number of bee visits. Lint-quality examinations resulted in a significant improvement for micronaire and fineness with increased bee visits. Non-significant increases were obtained for the mass of 100 seeds (3.8%), average single seed weight (3.9%), average number of seeds per boll (4.7%) and average weight of lint per boll (5.0%). Caged plots with honey bees had significantly greater total boll mass; total seed mass; and average single-seed weight than caged plots without honey bees.

Populations of honeybees pollinating flowering sunflower heads in 42 fields on the central Darling Downs were recorded. Mean populations ranged from 21.9 to 171.2 bees per 100 flowering heads. A calculated maximum requirement for the region during fine weather amounted to 24 bees per 100 flowering heads. Populations were positively correlated with number of hives within 3 km of fields. In 18 fields with no hives within 3 km, mean populations (apparently from feral colonies) ranged from 21.9 to 130.9 bees per 100 flowering heads. These populations showed no significant correlation with area of crop in the range 2-95 ha. In another study on the central Darling Downs, seed set was not significantly correlated with number of hives within 3 km, indicating that feral bee populations were adequate for sunflower pollination.

No abstract

John Free is noted for his work on the behaviour and pheromones of social bees. The book is comprised of 17 chapters dealing principally with A. mellifera with a small section at the end of most chapters relating to other Apis species-A. dorsata, A. ceranu and A. floreu. There are 2 chapters relating specifically to bumblebees, Bornbus spp. The book provides major coverage of the subject selected from 465 references of which 19 are papers by J. Free and a further 39 by J. Free and others.

The investigations reported in this thesis were undertaken during the period 1971-1973 in the course of the author's employment by the Queensland Department of Primary Industries at Warwick. All experimental work was designed and undertaken by the author except as specified in the text in which case references have been given. The statistical analyses of data were undertaken by Miss A. Reif and Mrs. J. Giles of the Biometry Branch of the Department of Primary Industries. Invaluable support and advice on apiary management techniques were provided by Mr. C. Roff, former

Trials were conducted to investigate the attractiveness of cotton to honey bees (&is melliferu L.), and bee mortality resulting from insecticide applications to cotton near Emerald, central Queensland. Bees died at hives sited within 3 km of sprayed, flowering cotton on two occasions. Methyl-parathion was identified in dead bees and in pollen taken from hives on one occasion. Dimethoate residues were detected in dead bees at the same site after application of this chemical to cotton. Bee foraging in areas exposed to spraying was implicated as leading to the mortality, rather than drift to the hive site, as two of the five hives did not have increased deaths on either occasion. Bees were shown to collect nectar and pollen from cotton flowers. Numbers peaked at an average of 17.5 bees per 100 m of crop row in February on an unsprayed trial in southeastern Queensland.