Drones spotted today

[Jon.21]

Still seeing drones from one of my hives. A couple of dead ones being dragged out but also seen some live ones coming and going today squeezing through the holes in the mouse guard. Is it normal to have drones end of Dec?
Photo attached showing worker bee right and drone on the left.

 

[Boston Bees]

Still seeing drones from one of my hives. A couple of dead ones being dragged out but also seen some live ones coming and going today squeezing through the holes in the mouse guard. Is it normal to have drones end of Dec?
Photo attached showing worker bee right and drone on the left.

Yes, it's normal to see a few making it deep into winter, in some hives. They will have survived the summer/autumn cull by hiding somewhere and trying to look as worker-like as possible!

 

[Jon.21]

Thanks.

 

[masterBK]

There is the possibility that the queen was superseded late in the season and didn't get mated or didn't get mated properly and you have a drone layer in there. Another alternative explanation is that the colony was and still is queenless late in the season and queenless colonies often don't throw their drones out for winter.
A third explanation could be the colony became queenless and you have laying workers that can only produce drones.

 

[Parsonage Bees]

Had one like this and the queen was failing slowly. Laying some drone brood all through the winter. In spring they tried too early to replace her, failed and by May she disappeared and I united them with another colony. By which time there were more drones than workers. . . . . Ben

 

[Finman]

Any virgins flying?

 

[pargyle]

Any virgins flying?