Too many drones?

Davepeg · June 20, 2011, 10:02:19 PM

I'm concerned about two of my hives.... we can not find any brood so we have made arrangements to install new queens later this week. It appears there are a lot of drones, and the only brood I see were drone cells - what would cause this? There are worker bees in there, they seem to be storing honey and pollen. Do I have a concern with introducing a new queen into a hive that have a high percentage of drones?

Kathyp · June 20, 2011, 10:32:03 PM

when all you have is scattered drone brood you may very will have laying workers. in that case, if you introduce a queen, they will most likely kill her. when is the last time you saw worker brood in there or any signs of a queen?

AllenF · June 20, 2011, 10:36:58 PM

Can you get a hold of a frame of brood from another hive to place in there?

L Daxon · June 20, 2011, 11:30:04 PM

What Allen is saying is it is better to let the girls raise their own new queen from eggs borrowed from another hive. It make take up to 3 weeks (i.e. introducing 3 frames of eggs one week apart) for the girls to make their own queen, but that might be more successful than introducing a new queen to a hive w/laying works. All laying workers can produce are drone cells which will eventually lead to the hive dying.

calrow99 · February 25, 2012, 02:08:42 AM

Hello Too Many Drones...

With your "Drone Hive" what was the attitude of the hive? EAsy going or hot an aggressive? I recently did a hive cut-out from a ceiling and had the hardest time with these bees.... very aggressive and continued to follow, pester us fifty feet away. We finally had most of the comb out of the ceiling and started to look closer at the hive. We noticed that most of the hive was drone 65/35 with very little honey, some old brood comb and odd larva laying pattern. Any feed back would be helpful - thanks.

Calrow99

rdy-b · February 25, 2012, 02:34:04 AM

Quote from: L Daxon on June 20, 2011, 11:30:04 PM
What Allen is saying is it is better to let the girls raise their own new queen from eggs borrowed from another hive. It make take up to 3 weeks (i.e. introducing 3 frames of eggs one week apart) for the girls to make their own queen, but that might be more successful than introducing a new queen to a hive w/laying works. All laying workers can produce are drone cells which will eventually lead to the hive dying.

the importance of the brood is not to raise a queen--it is brood pheromone that SUPPRESSES laying workers
the hive dose not become laying worker because the queen pheromone is missing--it is lack of BROOD PHEROMONE
as a result of no queen--in order to get a queen accepted you will need brood in the hive-the best way to re-queen a laying worker hive is with a nuc--there are methods a extended queen confinement that are successful also-but brood is key to success -- :) RDY-B

Michael Bush · February 25, 2012, 04:06:06 AM

If it's solid drone brood (not scattered) then I would say a drone laying queen. Scattered, especially with multiple eggs present in many cells, would be laying workers. You need to take some steps either way. If it's a drone laying queen you need to remove her. If it's laying workers you need to suppress them. The simple solution, assuming other hives rearing brood, is a frame of eggs and open brood every week for three weeks. Odds are they will replace the drone laying queen if they have the resources and the brood pheromone will suppress the laying workers.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beespanacea.htm

bud1 · February 25, 2012, 07:18:29 AM

why not just thup them out and ad a frame o brood?

marktrl · February 25, 2012, 03:42:41 PM

I had a laying worker hive last fall and I put open brood for 3 weeks and also fed them heavy so they filled the brood chamber with syrup.After that, introduced a new queen and they took right to her.