Queen bee info.

[birdsandbees]

I have read bits and pieces on DCA's I could be wrong but from what I have read they seem to like areas where air rises like the edge of valleys or small hillocks.
I know that when I had bees at home and was able to observe queens going off on mating flights that they were never gone for more than 15-20 minutes and all mated successfully, I do live on the edge of the flood plane of the rivers Teme and Severn so maybe there is some truth to this?

 

[Beefriendly]

DCA ?
What am I looking for..?.. a formation of drones flyin' in the ruler and protractor formation,

Sometimes you can hear the constant buzzing of the drones as they congregate above you and usually out of sight.
Otherwise the way to find them is to tether a virgin queen with thread/fishing line onto a helium balloon (or very long fishing pole) held aloft between 10-25m and go walkabout (or flyabout in the virgins case). When you enter a DCA she will be instantly mobbed.
Where they exist they appear to be pretty constant and appear most years in the same place. But research is scanty and on large flat expanses of ground they may not exist with drones appearing to be randomly spread around. In this case going walkabout with your balloon queen just attracts a steady increase of admirers.
There is a very good write up of what is known (and what is not) on DCA in Mating Biology of the honey Bee by Keoniger et al.

 

[eltalia]

Sometimes you can hear the constant buzzing of the drones as they congregate above you and usually out of sight.

Having witnessed this behavior often, in apiarys, it is why I question any existence of
"DCA" not immediately adjacent an apiary, like a few hundred metres at most.
And very likely poplulated by drones from those colonies in the immediate vacinty...
...like not ol' Pastor Henry's from the township 5kms away.

Otherwise the way to find them is to tether a virgin queen with thread/fishing line onto a helium balloon (or very long fishing pole) held aloft between 10-25m and go walkabout (or flyabout in the virgins case). When you enter a DCA she will be instantly mobbed.

I am thinking a mosquito-net cargo sling under my drone might be of equal value... heh ;-D
https://www.parrot.com/global/minidrones/parrot-airborne-cargo-mars#parrot-airborne-cargo-mars

Where they exist they appear to be pretty constant and appear most years in the same place. But research is scanty and on large flat expanses of ground they may not exist with drones appearing to be randomly spread around. In this case going walkabout with your balloon queen just attracts a steady increase of admirers.
There is a very good write up of what is known (and what is not) on DCA in Mating Biology of the honey Bee by Keoniger et al.

I did read some work a while back (weeks ago) which talked of DCA being located
as drones "popped", a 'polite' expression for drones going early in shooting their
load on sighting the virgin queen.
I didn't put much store by all of that work as my own judgement of that one claim.

Bill

 

[Uncle Betty]

Peter Tomkins is 'indifferent' about DCA's...

at 1:01:25 of this lecture, responding to a question from the floor -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lIremKFRm4


.

 

[eltalia]

Peter Tomkins is 'indifferent' about DCA's...

at 1:01:25 of this lecture, responding to a question from the floor -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lIremKFRm4


.

Picked Peter's comments up, thanks.
His "cruisin' around" fits, in much the same way our solitary
bees behave. They have an uncanny way of just knowin' there
is a feed on.
To that, and topic, I would add that should one screen drones
at the entrance after a shakeout they are often found in colonys adjacent,
having begged their way in. Yet they carry no gift bag... or do they ;-)

Bill

 

[Beefriendly]

All fits with DCA's in "hilly areas" and random distribution in flat plains where no depressions of horizon occur to guide them..
The unnatural bit is all those bee hives in one place. In a natural world they would be spread around and the un-natural apiary vicinity mating's wouldn't happen. The evolutionary set up is designed to prevent inbreeding in that the queen will fly to a further DCA than her own drones will.

 

[eltalia]

All fits with DCA's in "hilly areas" and random distribution in flat plains where no depressions of horizon
occur to guide them..

In your local (Sovereign lands)...?.. possibly.

The unnatural bit is all those bee hives in one place. In a natural world they would be spread
around and the un-natural apiary vicinity mating's wouldn't happen.

Even in high density communities here the concerntration of managed colonies no way
approaches the saturation levels I read about for Europe and the Americas. One would
think then that DCA's would be part of our (.AU) known b'keep experience...?.. yet
"online" is all of the exposure I have ever had to such a concept.

The evolutionary set up is designed to prevent inbreeding in that the queen will fly to a further DCA
than her own drones will.

Not at all disputing a virgin would - does? - fly past drones of her own genetics it just
does not stack up where in the time absent from her colony she is travelling and
mating outside of much more than a kilometre or two.
Equally drones require sustenance. Not known to forage beyond joining in on a free feed
of spillage it reads as fancifull human thinking for drones to be lolling about in specific
groups for the purpose of... this in an area well remote from homebase?
Closer to reality is the concept loose groups of drones embark on "kerb crawling"
behaviour upon the slightest whiff of a virgin on the wing.
Today (as management) I run three lines of genetics two of which are selected from
known suitable genetics the third is from "out there", bush bees (ferals) seen to be
hybrids of apis.m.Linnaeus.
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/full/42463639/1
Settling on the regime years ago was borne of teachings absorbed, my own experience
of random matings and interaction with others on their methods of maxing out production.
It is only "online" - a new experience for myself - I have come across the DCA concept to
wonder if, amongst the millions of beekeepers (globally) the detection of these areas was
known. I would welcome that teaching as how easy then would it be to maintain diversity
in genetics..! Pretty much every creek line and/or wooded valley (locally) owns more than
one "wild hive" yet over many years of beelining these I have yet to notice any particular
gathering of bees outside of cast swarms.
Given Apis.m has been 'farmed' by Man over many many generations I am still perplexed the
only developed recognition of DCA is "online".

Bill

 

[Gilberdyke John]

In your local (Sovereign lands)...?.. possibly.


Even in high density communities here the concerntration of managed colonies no way
approaches the saturation levels I read about for Europe and the Americas. One would
think then that DCA's would be part of our (.AU) known b'keep experience...?.. yet
"online" is all of the exposure I have ever had to such a concept.


Not at all disputing a virgin would - does? - fly past drones of her own genetics it just
does not stack up where in the time absent from her colony she is travelling and
mating outside of much more than a kilometre or two.
Equally drones require sustenance. Not known to forage beyond joining in on a free feed
of spillage it reads as fancifull human thinking for drones to be lolling about in specific
groups for the purpose of... this in an area well remote from homebase?
Closer to reality is the concept loose groups of drones embark on "kerb crawling"
behaviour upon the slightest whiff of a virgin on the wing.
Today (as management) I run three lines of genetics two of which are selected from
known suitable genetics the third is from "out there", bush bees (ferals) seen to be
hybrids of apis.m.Linnaeus.
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/full/42463639/1
Settling on the regime years ago was borne of teachings absorbed, my own experience
of random matings and interaction with others on their methods of maxing out production.
It is only "online" - a new experience for myself - I have come across the DCA concept to
wonder if, amongst the millions of beekeepers (globally) the detection of these areas was
known. I would welcome that teaching as how easy then would it be to maintain diversity
in genetics..! Pretty much every creek line and/or wooded valley (locally) owns more than
one "wild hive" yet over many years of beelining these I have yet to notice any particular
gathering of bees outside of cast swarms.
Given Apis.m has been 'farmed' by Man over many many generations I am still perplexed the
only developed recognition of DCA is "online".

Bill

My initial concept of Drone Congregation Areas was by word of mouth from other beekeepers. Of course I can't discount they learned about them online.

 

[Beefriendly]

In your local (Sovereign lands)...?.. possibly.


Even in high density communities here the concerntration of managed colonies no way
approaches the saturation levels I read about for Europe and the Americas. One would

There is much to learn about DCA's and otherwise. That they exists is beyond reasonable doubt, whether they exist in flat plains is open to question.

 

[oliver90owner]

Bees are not stupid. If there are warmer air currents (and the rest is below the ‘around 20 degrees Celsius’), they will congregate at the warmest area. Simple, really, ennit? Likely cleverererer than some beekeepers.

 

[Finman]

.
Must admit, that drone whispers exist.
.

 

[For want of a better word]

.
Must admit, that drone whispers exist.
.

I know... I have seen one

Yeghes da

 

[eltalia]

:
Originally Posted by Finman
.
Must admit, that drone whispers exist.

.

I know... I have seen one

Yeghes da

... around many forums tis often a roar.
Present company excepted, of course

Bill