Today while observing my hive I saw a number of drone bees arriving at the entrance. I have not seen this before on any of my hives. Just wondering if it is common to see them. I "assumed" that they were really only active outside the hive when mating with the queen. So, does the presence of the drones outside indicate a new queen and thus some mating flights? Or is it possible they were just out "flying" since they don't forage?
Sorry for such a newbee question. I feel like I should already know this, and a google search didn't show anything on this... thanks for any comments!
John
Quote from: holdthematers on August 19, 2009, 08:37:24 PM
Just wondering if it is common to see them. I "assumed" that they were really only active outside the hive when mating with the queen. So, does the presence of the drones outside indicate a new queen and thus some mating flights?
Your drones will typically be out flying everyday, looking for virgin queens. Drones gather in what are know as "DCAs": Drone Congregation Areas; sort of like a singles bar in the sky. They hang out all day, hoping a virgin queen flies by. Queens typically avoid mating with drones from their own hive. They often fly to a DCA beyond where the "local" drones hang out. Pretty amazing, actually, that a queen can leave the hive and "know" where to go to meet guys.
Thanks Indy! I had no idea! DCAs huh? You are right - AMAZING stuff! Not sure why I haven't seen many drones before - maybe just not very observant or bad timing. The only times I recall seeing them is in doing removals and I was surprised to see so many.
Thanks for the reply!
John
Quote from: holdthematers on August 19, 2009, 08:37:24 PM
Today while observing my hive I saw a number of drone bees arriving at the entrance. I have not seen this before on any of my hives. Just wondering if it is common to see them. I "assumed" that they were really only active outside the hive when mating with the queen. So, does the presence of the drones outside indicate a new queen and thus some mating flights? Or is it possible they were just out "flying" since they don't forage?
Sorry for such a newbee question. I feel like I should already know this, and a google search didn't show anything on this... thanks for any comments!
John
I hear a queen mates with several different drones while mating.I also hear your hive can have different kind of bees. Anyone know about that ?
Quote from: Joelel on August 20, 2009, 04:22:59 PM
I hear a queen mates with several different drones while mating.I also hear your hive can have different kind of bees. Anyone know about that ?
Yes, queens mate with several drones. According to Larry Conner's "
Bee Sex Essentials" a queen may mate with as many as 45 drones, but the average is 13.2 (page 99). Studies have shown that "promiscuous" queens which mate with many drones create healthier hives because of the genetic diversity. Different bees in the hive are the result of different fathers. In fact, when it comes to supercedure, there are rivalries between the different groups of step-sisters.