Does this situation sound about right?

[josbees]

Checked my girls today and this is what I saw.  I'm wondering if this is about right for this time of year, and I know all you experts out there can keep me on the right track!

I have two 10 inch deeps.  The top deep is slowly filling with honey.  The thing with this one though, is that the frames have maybe 1/4 to 1/3 of the tops full of honey (one is actually about 50% full).  The middle third is clear and then the lower portions are full of drone brood.  I thought this was kind of odd for this stage in the game, but maybe not?

There are a lot of drones on the frames and flying around -- do drones normally spend much time outside the hive?

The lower deep is somewhat similar.  There is honey in the top corners of the frames, then larvae (and eggs, I think) and pollen.  Because of the eggs I think I saw, I feel secure that I have a queen.

I am planning to start feeding this week.  I'm just hoping that you can reassure me that this scenario is a good/okay/not disastrous one.....

[Bill W.]

This is an odd time of year to have a lot of drones.  None of my hives have more than a few dozen right now.  Of course, it is possible your girls have just not gotten around to ejecting them yet.  Drones come from eggs, just as workers do, so eggs are not necessarily any reassurance if you might have a failed queen or a laying worker.  Were the eggs affixed to the bottoms of the cells or the sides?  I'd get back in there and search until I was satisfied about whether they have a queen or not.

If they do, watch carefully for a week and see if they produce any non-drone brood.

[Michael Bush]

Mine all have lots of drones.

[JoelinGA]

I did an inspection this weekend and noticed more drones than usual as well. I think it was like over a dozen or so.

[Bill W.]

Huh.  I wonder what the difference is.  I observed my girls kicking out droned this year and last year about this time.  Different dearth timing, perhaps?

[WhipCityBeeMan]

My bees haven't started booting the drones yet either.  I am sure you have queens that are doing just fine.  I am putting my feeders on this week too. 


Its easy to let your imagination go sometimes because we know we can lose a hive easily through so many ways the last thing we want is to lose one because of our own doing. 

I think you are in good shape. 

Have you noticed the fall flow seems a bit poor this year so far.  You are a little south of me but I am not seeing a build up of honey stores like usual at this point in the year. 

Now maybe its my imagination! 

[poka-bee]

My inspection a couple of weeks ago showed very few drones or drone brood.  I have seen some dead on the porch but not like when I almost starved em earlier this year.   A few weeks ago the drones were pouring in & out of the hives. Bill & I have the same general climate though he is on the coast.  Your area might just be different being further south?  Jody

[Michael Bush]

>Different dearth timing, perhaps?

Exactly.