Drone brood in super. Did I do something wrong?

[warts]

Found drone brood, sealed, in my supers today (I have two supers on, and the drone brood an be found in both). However, they are spread out, ie in patches of two or three (some on their own), approx 8-ish on each super, and on about 4 frames on each super. The supers they are in are those directly above the middle of the brood in the brood box. Does this make sense?

There are no new eggs that I can see, just honey (uncapped).

There is space in the brood box.

What did I do wrong? I mean, is it likely the queen moved upstairs temporarily during a previous inspection, then back down again? Though this does sound daft, I know. From what I can see, there are eggs in the brood box, it was windy and had started raining when I quickly checked on them this morning, so didn't hang about too much. This hive is a WBC, so not as tight a fit as my national hive. Is it normal for the Q to pop up and down?

Alternatively, is it likely that the is done layer upstairs (though no new eggs that I can see, but time was limited due to conditions)?

Thanks in advance

Sally

 

[Hivemaker.]

Most likely from eggs laid by a worker bee.

 

[warts]

Hi Hivemaker
Thank you. Is it likely to a) be a problem, b) easy to stop if not ?

Sorry if this is an obvious question

Sally

 

[YorkshireBees]

Hi Hivemaker
Thank you. Is it likely to a) be a problem, b) easy to stop if not ?

Sorry if this is an obvious question

Sally

It happens in a lot of hives, quite normal.
It's not a problem for me, I let them hatch out and the bees refill with honey.

 

[oliver90owner]

Is it an old queen? Might be getting short of queen pheromone. Watch out for supercedure, or even swarming.

If she had been upstairs, there would have been worker brood as well as, or instead of, drone brood.

RAB

 

[Tremyfro]

When I moved the nadired box back up above the main colony in April ...the queen went up and laid a whole frame with drone on both sides...there was no QE. Later she laid worker brood too. I think she laid them there as there was little space downstairs for her to lay at the time.

 

[warts]

Is it an old queen? Might be getting short of queen pheromone. Watch out for supercedure, or even swarming

RAB

Hi RAB
It's a good question. This was a swarm I gained last year. So not sure of her age. It is also the hive that has expanded the most this year, so swarming is now firmly on my radar.

Thank you

Sally

 

[warts]

It happens in a lot of hives, quite normal.
It's not a problem for me, I let them hatch out and the bees refill with honey.

Hi Yorkshirebees

This is the first time I hav ever seen it. Came as a little bit of a surprise, I can tell you!

But given what you have said, leaving them to hatch and then reuse the space seems like the way forward.

Thank you

Sally

 

[warts]

I think she laid them there as there was little space downstairs for her to lay at the time.

Hi Tremyfro

Although the Q does have space to lay, I am not too sure she sees it the same way. The bees seem to avoid using the end two frames, just one end of the box - they have clearly taken a disliking to it! The last frame still hasn't been drawn out from early last summer when it was added. Yet brood is packed onto virtually all other frames, from top to bottom. However, it is a 14x12, and maybe they have enough space or do prefer to keep going upwards rather than across. And given it is a WBC, so she could wander upstairs without too much effort given my building skills

Sally

 

[oliver90owner]

they have clearly taken a disliking to it!

Logically, that will be the colder side or at the back, whichever that end happens to be? They will normally brood towards the entrance for defense purposes (and not too far for the bees to crawl across the box).

You could get them into use by moving them in just a little at inspection; moving one frame to the other end at inspections might be a ploy to try.

 

[YorkshireBees]

Hi Yorkshirebees

This is the first time I hav ever seen it. Came as a little bit of a surprise, I can tell you!

But given what you have said, leaving them to hatch and then reuse the space seems like the way forward.

Thank you

Sally

It was strange the 1st time I saw it but someone advised me that there are usually a few laying workers in every hive, especially as the population grows and there is less queen pheromone to go around.

I no longer get shocked at anything I find as I expect the unusual.

I've had plenty of drone brood in supers and even sealed Queen cells over the last couple of years.
I use standard National deeps and usually the 1st super is the one that they treat as an expansion of the brood nest underneath. They build a pollen and honey arch and polish the cells in the middle but ofc the Queen can never lay eggs there!

A local very experienced beek once told me that the bees always make a 'mess' of the 1st super. He usually leaves it for them, even over winter but then again he doesn't remove the queen excluder. (some will be shocked at this but it's his way and works for him.)

 

[polomadh]

I had the same thing a few weeks ago...the hive had a superceedure cell towards the end of last season, but I suspected it was too late to get mated, so I left them to it, on the basis they knew what they were doing. During an inspection I had classic drone laying queen patterns on lots of frames and a little sealed worker brood too, so I was a little confused. As I was in the process of marking the new queen, the old queen wandered past, much to my surprise! She looked a bit battered. I took the "new" queen from the hive, and she is indeed in unmated, and laying drones only, and the old queen is still hanging in there!
So I would suggest you may have 2 queens in the hive, and the one in the super may be unmated

 

[wessexmario]

A local very experienced beek once told me that the bees always make a 'mess' of the 1st super. He usually leaves it for them, even over winter but then again he doesn't remove the queen excluder. (some will be shocked at this but it's his way and works for him.)

If the bees are telling him they need a bigger brood area, why doesn't he give it to them? Sounds like a perfect argument for moving the QX up a box.

 

[drstitson]

as per rab - possibly weak pheromones.

 

[YorkshireBees]

If the bees are telling him they need a bigger brood area, why doesn't he give it to them? Sounds like a perfect argument for moving the QX up a box.

Because like myself he uses a form of Demaree to build massive colonies but keeping only a single BB box at the bottom for:-

a. Ease of Inspection.
b. Height of hive with 5-6 Supers on.

As I said, each to their own and whatever works.

I should point out that it is his methodology that I follow for the most part and it has worked quite well for me.