DCA’s do they exist?

[polomadh]

Do Drone Congregation Areas, which are mentioned in many reference books actually exist?
Is there anyone out there that has practical experience of hunting for and finding one?

 

[rook66]

Do Drone Congregation Areas, which are mentioned in many reference books actually exist?
Is there anyone out there that has practical experience of hunting for and finding one?

Karl Showler regularly found one on the sports field at Gormanston, with long fishing rod, queen pheromone attached

 

[Erichalfbee]

 

[Erichalfbee]

**

 

[Brian Bush]

Well done Dani
It is a pity that no-one at the BBKA has ever read and understood this book.

 

[Nige.Coll]

Yeah, I know where the closest one is to my apiary. Wasn't hard to find as it is a hill in a flat landscape, an old slag heap to be exact, now covered in trees.
The theories in beowulfs book make the most sense as to why they are in the same place year on year.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Well done Dani
It is a pity that no-one at the BBKA has ever read and understood this book.

It’s a great book. Not cheap these days. I bought my copy after seeing the video at the NHS

 

[TomH]

Funnily enough, I was reading about this yesterday on the excellent Apiarist blog:

Radar love - The Apiarist

 

[user 819]

I noticed a DCA at a village apiary in Balcombe , W .Sx. When I was in my very early years of beeking, I arrived and thought damn a swarm but the din was different and I could see the cloud of bees in the sky. I stayed put and watched and eventually witnessed 100's of drones returning to the three colonies, what a din.

 

[pargyle]

Funnily enough, I was reading about this yesterday on the excellent Apiarist blog:

Radar love - The Apiarist

It's a really interesting synopsis of the study which basically concludes ... we still don't know why DCA's are where they are or how drones and queens find them

But we know don't we ? Confluence of energy lines ....tin hat on. Ready to go ...

 

[TomH]

It's a really interesting synopsis of the study which basically concludes ... we still don't know why DCA's are where they are or how drones and queens find them

But we know don't we ? Confluence of energy lines ....tin hat on. Ready to go ...

Reminds me... I should add the dowsing rods to my swarm collecting kit

 

[plain_hunt]

Reminds me... I should add the dowsing rods to my swarm collecting kit

I keep meaning to take mine to my Apiary - and keep forgetting! I’ll manage it one day.

 

[plain_hunt]

I went to a meeting with the Devon Research Group and they found two on the hills by Axminster Castle. Fascinating, using a long pole and a queen and a pheromone. Both worked. Keep meaning to try it around my Apiary which is on a hill.

 

[JamezF]

But we know don't we ? Confluence of energy lines ....tin hat on. Ready to go ...

Of course it isn't. That's just daft. Fairies organise it all and tell the bees where to go.

James

 

[rolande]

I wonder if any of the DCAs which are found by the use of pheromones and poles are actually the result of the pheromones and poles?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I wonder if any of the DCAs which are found by the use of pheromones and poles are actually the result of the pheromones and poles?

How far from a DCA can drones pick up a pheromone scent?

 

[JamezF]

How far from a DCA can drones pick up a pheromone scent?

And once found, do the drones perhaps amplify the signal by releasing more pheromones of their own? I'd guess that as a species it's in the bees' interest to get plenty of drones turning up.

James

 

[rolande]

How far from a DCA can drones pick up a pheromone scent?

Do they need to be anywhere near a DCA to pick up a scent? The AVM phenomena would suggest they don't, I'm not a great believer in AVM being a sub species speciality but there are plenty of large scale queen mating apiaries where that behaviour has been witnessed, I think hivemaker mentioned it on here once or twice for instance.

 

[JamezF]

I wonder if any of the DCAs which are found by the use of pheromones and poles are actually the result of the pheromones and poles?

I have wondered the same thing. Without demonstrating that the human-supplied pheromones and poles aren't responsible it doesn't seem like a very reliable way of demonstrating that the DCA existed independently.

James

 

[TomH]

I have wondered the same thing. Without demonstrating that the human-supplied pheromones and poles aren't responsible it doesn't seem like a very reliable way of demonstrating that the DCA existed independently.

James

Have a read of the Apiarist blog above, and the radar tracking of individual drones.