bobinfleet
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I was renewing the fondant on one of my hives this morning and noticed on my other hive drones coming and going, this weather is certainly confusing my bees.
Drones!
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Lots of them? Undersized? - could be a DLQ. May not be, but can't do a lot about it one way or the other - unless it comes warm enough to unite. Hope they are just the normal 'rarity'.
If a drone layer, the best course of action is to unite the workers to the other hive early in the spring. Fingers crossed.
RAB
If a drone layer, the best course of action is to unite the workers to the other hive early in the spring. Fingers crossed.
RAB
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All my hives had drones 3 weeks ago - not many but enough to notice!!
OP
bobinfleet
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They were normal drone size and about 1/2 a dozen or so,
mocko
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Mine too...lots of very large ones in both hives!
I've put it down to the warm weather - there are still lots of workers and
Worker brood when I looked 2 weeks ago.
Confused too!
Andy
I've put it down to the warm weather - there are still lots of workers and
Worker brood when I looked 2 weeks ago.
Confused too!
Andy
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some colonies seem to let a few Drones stay on into the winter, i had one last year that had Drones on 20th December, it became one of my best ones this year with the same Queen, this year all colonies have evicted their Drones by now, the last one about a week or so ago. Chris
Cazza
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Beeline
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What constitutes a DLQ? One laying up 50/50 drone to worker, or 80/20 etc.What are we talking here?
Reason I ask is because I have a hive on national brood and half so reasonably large. Sometimes when I have inspected in summer I have found circa 100 drones on a single deep frame alone so maybe 1200 in the hive. Is that normal.
As others are reporting now, my hive has been relatively active over this mild weather but what has made me feel a little uneasy is the number of drones still about and flying, actually it's the increased ratio of drones to workers. So while the workers are nesting down there are still 4-5 drone coming or going per minute.
Should I be looking to replace this 2011 queen next year?
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New to this, but saw drones flying in and out of hive today, quite worried for a while as I didn't expect to see them at this time but it is unseasonably warm, coldest summer for 50 years then the hottest November on record, lets see what December can do!!
drstitson
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"Sometimes when I have inspected in summer I have found circa 100 drones on a single deep frame alone so maybe 1200 in the hive. Is that normal."
correct order of magnitude, yes.
drone laying queen - 100% drone brood.
correct order of magnitude, yes.
drone laying queen - 100% drone brood.
Beeline
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Thanks for your comments Dr. Feel slightly better about the situation although still concerned why they haven't been given the hoof yet - probably chomping their way through the rapidly diminishing stores.
I would be concerned at 80/20 worker/drone at this time of the year. In fact any drone brood!. Should I be worried? No. Nothing to be done until spring, so what would the point be of worrying? Do I have any? Not a clue as I am not troubling them any more than necessary and that is not a reason for delving in anyway.
80/20 is not acceptable and would almost certainly mean a failing queen in spring, even. Think a few numbers, and remember drones live a lot longer than workers at that time of the year....but we also know what we are looking at, too. Large patches of drone brood in drone cells is one thing, drone brood in worker cells immediately rings alarm bells. It is the observed changes that can be important pointers for this sort of thing.
RAB
80/20 is not acceptable and would almost certainly mean a failing queen in spring, even. Think a few numbers, and remember drones live a lot longer than workers at that time of the year....but we also know what we are looking at, too. Large patches of drone brood in drone cells is one thing, drone brood in worker cells immediately rings alarm bells. It is the observed changes that can be important pointers for this sort of thing.
RAB
KayJ
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Baby drones !!
I had a lot of undersized drones coming and going from one of my hives last Sunday. It is a hive that had two sealed and one unsealed Q cells at the beginning of October and I just thought the bees were replacing their old Q.
I don't know if I have a new unmated Q, an old drone layer or perhaps laying workers.
Can anyone tell me what's likely to happen to this hive over the winter, chances of survival?
I realise its too late to do anything with it now. Be a shame to lose it when the colony was doing so well. Its this years Q and my second winter, so I'm still learning a lot.
I had a lot of undersized drones coming and going from one of my hives last Sunday. It is a hive that had two sealed and one unsealed Q cells at the beginning of October and I just thought the bees were replacing their old Q.
I don't know if I have a new unmated Q, an old drone layer or perhaps laying workers.
Can anyone tell me what's likely to happen to this hive over the winter, chances of survival?
I realise its too late to do anything with it now. Be a shame to lose it when the colony was doing so well. Its this years Q and my second winter, so I'm still learning a lot.
KayJ,
At a guess, you had a 'droney' queen at best. If that is the case, at best she may 'limp' through the winter and you may be able to unite the few workers with your other colony.
At worst the colony won't survive. You give no details of the colony. You would need to check your dates but a very lated mated queen could be in there. There may have been time for a new queen to lay drone brood and it emerge, but that may depend on your dates. A week for a queen to emerge, a week at least before mating and coming into lay (likely longer) and three weeks for any emerging brood, longer for drones. Then a few days before they fly.
With supercedure the old queen may still be there until the new queen is into lay, so anything could have happened. Just don't get your hopes up as that was very late for supercedure. If the supercedure was a success you will be really pleased in the spring!!
RAB
At a guess, you had a 'droney' queen at best. If that is the case, at best she may 'limp' through the winter and you may be able to unite the few workers with your other colony.
At worst the colony won't survive. You give no details of the colony. You would need to check your dates but a very lated mated queen could be in there. There may have been time for a new queen to lay drone brood and it emerge, but that may depend on your dates. A week for a queen to emerge, a week at least before mating and coming into lay (likely longer) and three weeks for any emerging brood, longer for drones. Then a few days before they fly.
With supercedure the old queen may still be there until the new queen is into lay, so anything could have happened. Just don't get your hopes up as that was very late for supercedure. If the supercedure was a success you will be really pleased in the spring!!
RAB
KayJ
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Thank you RAB for your reply. Doesn't sound too hopeful. 
The colony is quite large, brood and half, and have filled the super part completely with sealed stores this last month. Q cells were found on 2nd Oct.
I did wonder how a new Q could mate so late in the year. Dont suppose its possible for her to mate early next year and carry on as normal.
The colony is quite large, brood and half, and have filled the super part completely with sealed stores this last month. Q cells were found on 2nd Oct.
I did wonder how a new Q could mate so late in the year. Dont suppose its possible for her to mate early next year and carry on as normal.
Dont suppose its possible for her to mate early next year and carry on as normal.
No. Usually after about 4 or 5 weeks, they become drone layers.
It was possible for a queen to get mated in October, especially this year. I would not want to lay odds on there being a mated queen there, but there may be someone out there with experience of it.
This year has been exceptionally different, so I would not be surprised. Little surprises me where bees are concerned.
They seem to know more about their survival than we do at times. If they get it wrong... they don't make the same mistake twice!!
RAB
No. Usually after about 4 or 5 weeks, they become drone layers.
It was possible for a queen to get mated in October, especially this year. I would not want to lay odds on there being a mated queen there, but there may be someone out there with experience of it.
This year has been exceptionally different, so I would not be surprised. Little surprises me where bees are concerned.
They seem to know more about their survival than we do at times. If they get it wrong... they don't make the same mistake twice!!
RAB
