Drones present and correct let the show commence

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sherwood

House Bee
Joined
Mar 19, 2009
Messages
311
Reaction score
4
Location
herts/bucks/midx border
Hive Type
Commercial
Number of Hives
20+National,commercial langstroth
With the first drones in 2 of my hives I now declare the new season with us.
 
If they are Qr then yes they must be terrific, mine have just begun laying worker eggs, never mind thinking of sex. LOL

PH
 
Not seen mine in any numbers for a few days. Cant say I blame them, its bxxxy cold out there, think they are huddled upagainst their duvet!
 
I had a weather opportunity last weekend to go through 5 of my 7. I was surprised to find eggs larvae and sealed brood in BOTH boxes of the double brood Nationals. All were queenright and the double brood Nats had emerging drones and sealed drone cells at the bottom of half the frames.

On the down side I have lost one colony, even though it had OA late Dec it still had a high varroa count mid Feb and was queenless with just a handfull of bees last weekend.
 
Sure you are Q right?

PH

Yup queen right in both colonies with sealed and unsealed worker cells plus emerging brood I have drones present and drone brood. The other 7 colonies are a bit behind and I have 1 of these that I am pretty sure I am going to have to unite, but yes off and running I was expecting not to see drones for another 3 to 4 weeks
 
Crikey!

Can I send mine down for a "working holiday"?

PH
 
Many of my colonys now have plenty of sealed drone brood,could start grafting in about ten days time,but need the temps to rise ,which does not look likely just yet.
 
Dont send them too far south. Its still very early spring here and you cant get much further south without getting your feet wet!
I think that Poly Hive might consider the paddle well worth it. MJBee's location is a little further south of you than you might have realised.

If you are good at climbing and have a taste for eating hornets, then I'm sure MJBee has a job for you this bank holiday :)
 
PH are your girls members of the unite union?

Right girls down tools we demand better T&C's !! :svengo:
 
Yep Hombre - hornet traps deployed but too long in the tooth to go clambering about in trees just as well that my apprentice is a tree surgeon and had all the gear.:coolgleamA:

PS A cool wet 12C today:banghead:
 
Thank goodness for nimble apprentices with all all the right kit from the appropriate discipline.

Snow forecast here over the next three days but it was warm, dry and calm this afternoon so I had a quick look, a bit of re-balancing of stores and trimming of wax from bottom of some standard frames in 14x12 boxes (transitional state).

Generally a good spread of brood on both sides of 3 frames, one with a good amount of brood on both sides of four frames.

I'm as pleased as punch, my first winter waves of doubt and introspection are now banished. They are taking patties and look to be in good condition.
 

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