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Genetically-marked virgin queen honey bees were located at various distances up to 14.0 miles from an apiary stocked with genetically-marked drones in an area containing only these experimental bees. Some matings occurred across distances up to 10.1 miles. With increasing distances from the drone source a decreasing percentage of queens mated successfully. Queens located at the drone source, 3.8 and 6.1 miles distant, began laying at approximately the same time. Those located 8.0 miles distant began laying later and those at 10.1 miles later still.
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D. F. Peer (1957) studied this question.
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