Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: mpjourdan on March 12, 2007, 11:13:14 PM

Title: Overwintering drones?
Post by: mpjourdan on March 12, 2007, 11:13:14 PM
Is it normal for a very small number of drones to overwinter?  Do any drones overwintering means possible queen problems? 

I was scraping dead bees away from a hive entrance and out walked a drone.  I'm in Minnesota and I don't think there's anyway that was a new drone reared for spring, especially considering the small amount of stores they had left.  When I gave them a few frames of honey I figured I see real proplems, but I just saw one other drone and everything else seamed good.  I don't know what they were doing there, just extra mouths to feed.
Title: Re: Overwintering drones?
Post by: Understudy on March 12, 2007, 11:15:51 PM
One drone is no biggie. He may have dropped in for a visit from another hive.

Take him to pub where all the unmated queens hang out for happy hour. He will be grateful.

Sincerely,
Brendhan
Title: Re: Overwintering drones?
Post by: Michael Bush on March 13, 2007, 07:54:28 AM
>Is it normal for a very small number of drones to overwinter?  Do any drones overwintering means possible queen problems?

My ferals always overwinter a few.  This time of year a booming hive might even raise a few.  A lot of drones in a hive is suspicious and not throwing MOST of them out in the fall is suspicious.  But a few would not worry me.
Title: Re: Overwintering drones?
Post by: Mici on March 13, 2007, 11:49:59 AM
saw first drone just yesterday, a fresh one :-D