No Queen Excluder and this happens...

[Beagle23]

I've experimented this year with one of my hives going completely excluder free. So this morning I carried out a quick examination and discovered that I have 4 supers full of brood (about 25% drone), in fact it's so prolific I've started feeding and I'm back on swarm watch.

With 10 frames per Super i reckon there are no more than 8 in total that have stores. Is it normal for queens to be so prolific when the colony is already teeming? It also seems to be a bit late in the season to be laying so many drones given that she started in late March.

Thoughts?

 

[B+.]

I've experimented this year with one of my hives going completely excluder free. So this morning I carried out a quick examination and discovered that I have 4 supers full of brood (about 25% drone), in fact it's so prolific I've started feeding and I'm back on swarm watch.

With 10 frames per Super i reckon there are no more than 8 in total that have stores. Is it normal for queens to be so prolific when the colony is already teeming? It also seems to be a bit late in the season to be laying so many drones given that she started in late March.

Thoughts?

Have you got drone comb in your supers?

If you have a heavy nectar flow, just wait 3-4 weeks and all the brood will have emerged. They will backfill as the brood emerges and the queen will move lower down.
To avoid the recent thread where this was discussed, I am aware that heather is a different case

 

[Beagle23]

Have you got drone comb in your supers?

If you have a heavy nectar flow, just wait 3-4 weeks and all the brood will have emerged. They will backfill as the brood emerges and the queen will move lower down.
To avoid the recent thread where this was discussed, I am aware that heather is a different case

Yes. Mostly in the top one. The laying pattern's not bad, the queen's just being extremely prolific. I had a peek into the brood box and that was nearly all brood as well.

 

[B+.]

Yes. Mostly in the top one. The laying pattern's not bad, the queen's just being extremely prolific. I had a peek into the brood box and that was nearly all brood as well.

Well, it takes drones 24 days to mature rather than the 21 days required by workers, so that may take a little longer for them to back-fill with honey.
It's probably not a good idea to go without a queen excluder unless it's for a particular reason.

 

[Beefriendly]

Well, it takes drones 24 days to mature rather than the 21 days required by workers, so that may take a little longer for them to back-fill with honey.

In 24 days time any flow may be over and back-filling emerged cells merely an idle fantasy.

 

[eltalia]

Thoughts?

" in fact it's so prolific I've started feeding and I'm back on swarm watch."

/shakes head/
...beggers belief.

Bill

 

[Eyeman]

Have you got drone comb in your supers?

If you have a heavy nectar flow, just wait 3-4 weeks and all the brood will have emerged. They will backfill as the brood emerges and the queen will move lower down.
To avoid the recent thread where this was discussed, I am aware that heather is a different case

Those drone cells in the super will be the last to be filled and capped- a right nusiance if you ask me!

 

[Beefriendly]

Totally agree....I'm forever cutting out supers with where there is too much drone comb

 

[Finman]

I've experimented this year with one of my hives going completely excluder free. So this morning I carried out a quick examination and discovered that I have 4 supers full of brood (about 25% drone), in fact it's so prolific I've started feeding and I'm back on swarm watch.



Thoughts?

I nurse without excluders. I wonder how 1/4 out of cells are drones. I do not have drones in foundation area, but they do dronecells in the gap betbeeb boxes.

Natural hives have about 24 % drone brood.

If you give free space to bees to rear drones, then they do not put so much drone brood here and there. They need a certain amount drones.

 

[Beagle23]

" in fact it's so prolific I've started feeding and I'm back on swarm watch."

/shakes head/
...beggers belief.

Bill

A hive packed with bees and brood and almost no stores. Are you saying I shouldn't feed?

 

[Beagle23]

I nurse without excluders. I wonder how 1/4 out of cells are drones. I do not have drones in foundation area, but they do dronecells in the gap betbeeb boxes.

Natural hives have about 24 % drone brood.

If you give free space to bees to rear drones, then they do not put so much drone brood here and there. They need a certain amount drones.

Yes, but it's not just the drones. I would argue that the hive doesn't need as many bees of (both genders) as the current laying pattern is providing for.
We credit bees with knowing what they're doing but in this instance I'm starting to suspect that whoever is in charge of project management in the colony....needs to be sacked.

 

[Erichalfbee]

In 24 days time any flow may be over and back-filling emerged cells merely an idle fantasy.

I hope not! I hope the Balsam here goes on till the first frosts

 

[Finman]

Yes, but it's not just the drones. I would argue that the hive doesn't need as many bees of (both genders) as the current laying pattern is providing for.
We credit bees with knowing what they're doing but in this instance I'm starting to suspect that whoever is in charge of project management in the colony....needs to be sacked.

Yep, it is not my fault if you argue.

 

[thedozzer]

We credit bees with knowing what they're doing but in this instance I'm starting to suspect that whoever is in charge of project management in the colony....needs to be sacked.

We think we know what they should be doing but they may have other ideas
mine don't read the same books as me, that's for sure.