Why could this be?

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kazmcc

Queen Bee
Joined
Jul 9, 2010
Messages
3,147
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Location
Longsight, Manchester, UK
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
None, although I have my eye on one ( Just don't tell Dusty ;) )
I went for a watch of the bees a few days ago. I could have spent the whole day there just watching :) My question is this, the hive was very quiet, with bees coming and going, just getting on with it. Some came back with creamy white pollen, which could be the balsam that grows everywhere along the stream that runs through the allotments. I saw something going on in the hive near the entrance.....at the angle I was sat I couldn't see right in, but then two bees tumbled out onto the alighting board. A worker was kicking the stuffing out of a drone. She gave up and wandered back in, while the drone tried to right himself. He staggered back in after her, only for the whole thing to happen again 30 seconds later. He staggered back inside again, and I didn't see another drone after that. Maybe he was a bit slow in getting the message ;) but is it not a bit early for drone kicking out season? Why could it have happened? Any theorys?
 
May be having a domestic, Did she have a rolling pin in one hand and roller in her hair, we blokes always get it wrong after a few pints of the liquid nectar :drool5:
 
Sounds about right she wanted to go shopping he rolls in drunk as a lord stinking of stale beer and he told her he was working late.
 
May be having a domestic, Did she have a rolling pin in one hand and roller in her hair, we blokes always get it wrong after a few pints of the liquid nectar :drool5:

Funnily enough, she did have a little pan shaped thing in her hand.....and his staggering may have been down to one too many lol
 
Some of my colonies are already throwing out drones. I reckon that's a sign they are past swarming season and I can relax a bit.
 
And in addition to Rooftops and the other suggestions, it may be of note that a 5 frame nuc does not need drones eating supplies at this time of their development.

Nuclei do not normally rear drone brood. Only colonies which are more mature. For instance, I know my colonies will not swarm (early in the spring) until there are mature drones in the hive, so I don't start weekly inspections (for swarming intent) until after the first drone brood has emerged (and then there will be another week, while the drones mature).

So this may be a drone from another colony that has simply been refused entry.

Regards, RAB
 
Thanks everyone. There is another bee hive on the allotments so that could be a possibility. The queen is marked green so if I remember rightly, that means she's about 1 year old, maybe a few months older. I was told it might be a good sign that they won't swarm again this season when I asked, so fingers crossed. She isn't clipped so they could naff off anywhere lol.

Wow, there is so much to learn, I am 35. I could spend the rest of my life doing this ( and probably will ) and still not know all there is to know lol.
 
we had the same thing happening with one hive yesterday. No drones were allowed in. This was a 5 frame nuc we got a month ago.
 
we had the same thing happening with one hive yesterday. No drones were allowed in. This was a 5 frame nuc we got a month ago.

Ours is the same, even though we got them on Tuesday, our mentor has had them at his house for a couple of weeks to see if they are well behaved as they are for the school.

He reckons it's a good sign, a) they won't be swarming again this year, and b) they are very industrious, and he thinks they might be making room for the babies that are growing in there.

I must say that when I checked them ( externally ) on Saturday, they were quiet, no noise at all, and busy. When I checked them tonight, they were the same, quiet, buzzing in and out, but you could smell the honey. That can't be good can it? Do all hives smell of honey?
 
well of course they smell of honey. That's a good sign. If they smelled of fish and chips you'd have a problem :)))).
 
well of course they smell of honey. That's a good sign. If they smelled of fish and chips you'd have a problem :)))).

LOL!!!!!! Yes, I would worry! I know, but I've read peoples posts about not spilling any syrup or comb around the hive as it attracts robbers. If they smell so strongly then it wouldn't matter if you dropped something as it can be smelled anyway? That's what I was thinking :confused:
 
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