Have an issue, grateful for advice.

[Erichalfbee]

Oh .. I dunno ... if the bees want to do it they will do it ... have you never seen them dragging something far larger than they are out of the hive entrance ... and the team effort that they put in when one is struggling. I think they keep drones for a reason ... I don't know what that reason is outside of the mating season but I'm pretty sure they have one.

I think so too. I have a few hives that allow drones through and I have watched drones being thrown out while others walk by unmolested.

 

[Swarm]

Possibly keeping their own and turfing out visitors?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Possibly keeping their own and turfing out visitors?

Maybe? Never thought of that. Who knows

 

[beeno]

Possibly keeping their own and turfing out visitors?

I have read that too.

 

[North End Bees]

Possibly keeping their own and turfing out visitors?

Drones are particularly itinerant so probably the majority in the hive arrived at some point as visitors.

There is a school of thought that bees require a certain number of drones in the hive at any time as a factor of hive well-being/contentment.

Difficult to find concrete evidence for this. Then again, not sure any post-grad submitting a PhD thesis of 'Do drones make worker bees happy?' would get the funding?

But it certainly seems anecdotally true. Bees are very efficient: if drones were merely free-loaders, whose sperm would be unviable anyway by the next warm weather, why would they be tolerated (and continued to be fed)?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

not sure any post-grad submitting a PhD thesis of 'Do drones make worker bees happy?' would get the funding?

Be more worthwhile than inventing yet another unique format hive

 

[pargyle]

Be more worthwhile than inventing yet another unique format hive

Yes ... but I think the Design and Media students might have a tough time investigating something that takes a bit more than imagination and no real knowledge of bees and beekeeping ...

Now ... if you could prove that Drones kill varroa mites .... ?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Yes ... but I think the Design and Media students might have a tough time investigating something that takes a bit more than imagination and no real knowledge of bees and beekeeping ...

Sounds like a job description for a BBKA post.