Citrus Killer Bee

[SlitherinSisters]

Wow congrats! That thing is killer!

[slackerz]

wow..thats a nice one.congratz..

[Russ Lawson]

Markus,

It is not my intention to sound rude; however, the black on that animal looks pretty dark for it to be a killerbee. I think what you have there is a high quality citrus bumblebee. Were there any other bumblebees in the clutch to compare it to?

Don't get me wrong; it is a gorgeous animal regardless of whether it is a killerbee or a bumblebee. I've just yet to see a killerbee with such dark pattern on it, whereas I've hatched several bumblebees that have been almost white when they emerged from their eggs, similar to this one.

[blackboa]

Markus,

It is not my intention to sound rude; however, the black on that animal looks pretty dark for it to be a killerbee. I think what you have there is a high quality citrus bumblebee. Were there any other bumblebees in the clutch to compare it to?

Don't get me wrong; it is a gorgeous animal regardless of whether it is a killerbee or a bumblebee. I've just yet to see a killerbee with such dark pattern on it, whereas I've hatched several bumblebees that have been almost white when they emerged from their eggs, similar to this one.

Hi Russ,
I'm open for all comments and feedback. I have the same opinion that the black is really dark for a killerbee and after the first shed I'm also not really sure. I have no bumblebee in the clutch for comparation, I only saw a citrus bumblebee from another breeder and this one looks different. But I think it's possible that this guy has a normal bumblebee (no citrus). Because the difference seems to be the same as between pastel and citrus pastel within one clutch.
I will breed my citrus pastel to a spider next season and maybe I get the same result?! Latest when I breed this guy I will see what's up .

Thanks and best regards
Markus

P.S. Sorry for the late reply, I was on vacation.

[Russ Lawson]

It is interesting for sure. I'll keep an eye out for future threads from you on these. I find it additionally curious that an individual on another forum believed he had some killer bee faders, and the animals in question there also appeared to have pretty dark black for killer bees, which led me to believe that they may have been fader bumblebees (I'm considering that citrus whiteout and fader appear to be the same thing with this comparison). Here's a link to the thread if you want to have a look and compare those animals to yours here: http://www.avidherpers.com/showtopic.php?tid/3682/