Drone Colonies

[Mellifera397]

Hi everyone,
As you can see I am a new beekeeper. i visited 'The Ugly House' or ' Ty Hyll' the national honey bee centre for wales and the volunteer mentioned that they were going to get some drone colonies for their breeding program. Can anone explain what a drone colony is?

 

[enrico]

This is a total guess as I have never heard of one but I know you can buy drone foundation so I would imagine you can 'force' the queen to lay drone eggs ensuring drones from good stock queen to mate with virgins.....

 

[drstitson]

a colony that is kept specifically to provide drones.

 

[Mellifera397]

Thanks but is it headed by a drone laying queen or a laying worker and if a drone laying queen how do they rear them?

 

[For want of a better word]

a colony that is kept specifically to provide drones.

​

Drone cells are encouraged not culled... worker brood may be removed and placed in a weaker colony to boost it.. bees generally will make what they want or need from whatever foundation you give to them in the brood box.

 

[For want of a better word]

Hi everyone,
As you can see I am a new beekeeper. i visited 'The Ugly House' or ' Ty Hyll' the national honey bee centre for wales and the volunteer mentioned that they were going to get some drone colonies for their breeding program. Can anone explain what a drone colony is?

possibly he was pulling your leg!

 

[Poly Hive]

A strong colony supplied with either drone foundation or drawn drone comb to provide free flying drones or for insemination purposes.

The queen will be of a line that is superior and so her drones will enhance the breeding project. She is not normally a drone layer, as in although she is encouraged to lay lots of drone cells she is a fully functioning laying queen.

PH

 

[BeeJayBee]

Dave Cushman's site has an interesting page or four on drone raising http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/droneraise.html More info from the red links at the top left

 

[Mellifera397]

Thanks everyone that makes it a lot clearer