FYI, a little thing.
I have read many times that drones cannot or will not feed themselves. That the drones depend on nurse bees to feed them.
To the contrary, I watched a drone feeding out of a nectar cell during my last inspection. Maybe a unique event and not a typical one???, can?t say for sure. I can say I have seen drones feed themselves. Also, from my experience, caged drones don?t last very long, hours, not days without nurse bees.
I have seen that a time or two as well, a drone with his head in a honey cell, seemingly eating. Maybe they are just investigating the food and not actually eating it.
Don't get me started on this topic! I'd argue with anyone who claimed Drones can't feed themselves. ...
The last few yrs, I've gone to foundationless & unlimited brood nest. What I got was zillions of drones. By itself, that's not really a problem. Except: when you inspect a 7 box high hive, and you find 4 boxes with open nectar, and every frame is completely covered on both sides with drones with their heads in the cells Slurping down the nectar. Meanwhile, the workers are having a terrible time pushing their way thru the mass of drones, to get any work done.... and then you end the flow with 6 frames of capped honey from the hive.
Yes sir - drones can feed themselves just fine, to my observation.
I suppose: that the nectar would have to be of a certain quality/composition for them - then ok.
... and, I could have misinterpreted what I was seeing, but I certainly don't think so.
I bought some queen Excluders for this year - for this very reason. ... so I could get some honey too! :grin:
Ugh!
Thank you Member and Cool for your input. Cool, I believe your observation, thanks; that affirms my observation also.
Quote from: CoolBees on April 24, 2020, 02:14:49 PM
Don't get me started on this topic! I'd argue with anyone who claimed Drones can't feed themselves. ...
The last few yrs, I've gone to foundationless & unlimited brood nest. What I got was zillions of drones. By itself, that's not really a problem. Except: when you inspect a 7 box high hive, and you find 4 boxes with open nectar, and every frame is completely covered on both sides with drones with their heads in the cells Slurping down the nectar. Meanwhile, the workers are having a terrible time pushing their way thru the mass of drones, to get any work done.... and then you end the flow with 6 frames of capped honey from the hive.
Yes sir - drones can feed themselves just fine, to my observation.
I suppose: that the nectar would have to be of a certain quality/composition for them - then ok.
... and, I could have misinterpreted what I was seeing, but I certainly don't think so.
I bought some queen Excluders for this year - for this very reason. ... so I could get some honey too! :grin:
Ugh!
Just another reason I am using QE this season to keep the drones out of the honey supers along with the queen.
Phillip Hall
Young drones feed themselves, but after they mature the nurse bees do the feeding. That is why the drones hang out at the edge of the brood nest area.
Quote from: CoolBees on April 24, 2020, 02:14:49 PM
I bought some queen Excluders for this year - for this very reason. ... so I could get some honey too! :grin:
My question is why does the hive have so many drones? I have never used a QE and would regularly harvest two boxes of honey from each hive. Up north anyway.
I do not know the answer to that Ace. I have been told that going foundationless, they tend to build more drone comb. (Which up till now, I have done). There could be several theories. My experience level is not there.
Phillip Hall
> My question is why does the hive have so many drones? I have never used a QE and would regularly
harvest two boxes of honey from each hive. Up north anyway.
Ace did you go foundationless while you were in NY?
Phillip Hall
Quote from: Acebird on April 27, 2020, 09:17:28 AM
Quote from: CoolBees on April 24, 2020, 02:14:49 PM
I bought some queen Excluders for this year - for this very reason. ... so I could get some honey too! :grin:
My question is why does the hive have so many drones? I have never used a QE and would regularly harvest two boxes of honey from each hive. Up north anyway.
I don't know the answer to that Ace.
Genetics?
Climate?
Location?
Something else?
Wish I knew.