Drones with white thorax?

[lwenlock]

Hi,

Long time lurker first time poster. I have been keeping bees for two years now. During todays inspection I noticed a couple of drones with a white thorax.

The drones were perfectly formed with no signs of disease but both had a distinct white thorax, as if marked with a queen marking pen.

Unfotunately no photo, has anyone ever seen anything similar?

 

[Erichalfbee]

If they were worker bees I'd say they have found the himalayan balsam.
You might have a neighbour who has been practising marking.

 

[rickyd20]

I also panicked when I saw this on my bees, turned out it was himalayan balsam they were foraging on.
Theres a video on youtube if you search "white stripe on honeybee" in google, so you can check whether your bees look like the ones in the video. I can't post a link to it as my post count is too low.

Not sure why drones would have it though.

 

[VEG]

Do drones go out to forage ?

 

[kazmcc]

Drones don't forage do they? I always thought they just bumbled around at home until time to hit the clubs and got fed by the workers.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Which is why I think somebody has been practising on them. When I lived in Cumbria I once got green and red drones in one hive. There was an association apiary a quarter of a mile away.

 

[lwenlock]

My association apiary is some 12 miles away. Would drones go into another hive to be able to get marked? Surely they wouldnt get past the guard bees of someone elses hive?

 

[Excession]

Drones do not forage.

 

[Bosleeu]

Drones seem move between hives as they please, hence the influx of drones if there is a virgin in the hive. They do not forage though.

 

[itma]

My association apiary is some 12 miles away. Would drones go into another hive to be able to get marked? Surely they wouldnt get past the guard bees of someone elses hive?

Drones 'drift' from hive to hive a LOT. They don't forage, even on Balsam.

Try marking a whole bunch of drones in just one of your hives, and see where they turn up!

Practicing marking (and clipping) on drones is good practice in bee 'handling' - in the hand (fingers), not in a cage! (And, uh, don't expect clipped drones to drift!)

If you are going to mark drones, it obviously makes massive sense to use a specific different colour for the drones, and hey, wouldn't it be a good idea to use a 'non-standard' colour?
If you look on eBay (for example) you can find the Posca pens (for about £2.50 delivered) in an impressive variety of colours - orange seems to work well, but what about purple or silver?

 

[Erichalfbee]

It's not just at association apiaries, either. I've done it in the past. Marked with dayglo orange.

 

[kazmcc]

I remember when my beautiful queen emerged, I thought I'd practise holding drones, but when they buzzed I freaked out and dropped them lol. I'm better at it now

 

[madasafish]

I mark my Queens with DayGlo Orange. It sticks and they are easier to find. I dislike green as it's not very visible..

My hive records tell me the Queen's age and antecedents..