Drones out?

[BILL.HEARD]

Usually drones are prevented from re-entering hives or thrown out at the close of season, I noticed one hive today where workers were going about there usual business but near the entrance but to one side there must have been sixty or seventy drones clustered in a group with none trying to gain entrance to the hive, workers were showing no interest in this group or showing any aggression towards them.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Plenty of drones in my hives still - also drone brood yet to emerge

 

[oliver90owner]

Usually drones are prevented from re-entering hives or thrown out at the close of season,-

Close of forage flows are the other usual times of eviction.

 

[madasafish]

One nuc has a pile of 200-3000 drones outside.

On other hives, drones as usual..

 

[TOBY-3652]

One nuc has a pile of 200-3000 drones outside.

On other hives, drones as usual..

drone layer maybe

 

[Teemore]

Forage for one of my apiaries really dried up a few weeks ago with the result that a couple of 2013 queens stopped laying and there was minimal nectar being brought in. Pollen reserves are however good and all the queens were laying when I checked last night: one that I was concerned had gone Q- (no eggs, larvae or QCs and REALLY poor temperament about 10 days ago) was wall to wall BIAS.
There was a small number of deceased drones in front of some of the hives but one or two are still raising drones and all retain a goodly drone population. As yet these colonies have not started to corral the drones on the outside frames which is what I have come to view as a precursor to drone eviction.