The criteria used throughout the present study were: weight of the queen,
length of the abdomen , length and width of the right fore wing, length and width of 3^rd
and 4th terga , number of ovarioles of the right ovary, diameter and volume of the
spermatheca . Two different localities for queen - rearing were selected (Giza and Alexandria)
,during 1989 and 1990. Significant differences were found between the weight of virgin queens, the
length and width of the 4th tergum of queens and also between the volume of
spermatheca of queens reared in both localities. Trials also were made to find out the most suitable season for queen rearing
during the different honey flows. It was clear that there were significant differences in the weight of virgin
queens ,length of the abdomen, length and width of right fore wing, length and width
of 4th tergum , number of ovarioles , and volume of spermatheca during spring,
summer and late summer. Length and width of the 3rd tergum were not significantly
affected by rearing queens in different seasons. It was indicated that the most suitable seasons for rearing queens in Egypt
were late summer, followed by summer and then spring.