How much drone brood is too much?

Rurification · June 21, 2015, 09:16:20 AM

Checked all the hives yesterday and I did a deep inspection of my new packages [foundationless, installed end of April] Both have filled the first deep completely and started frames in a medium. One of the colonies had a lot of drone brood. As in 1/3 to 2/3 of a frame on 4 frames, interspersed with small areas of regular brood or pollen. I was getting worried until I hit the regular brood and found the queen. She is beautiful and the brood pattern was great on the rest of the frames.

I decided she probably knew what she was doing and I left the drone brood, but it left me wondering.

How much drone comb/brood is too much? What does that say about the colony/queen? If I decide to do something about it, what are my options?

Kathyp · June 21, 2015, 09:51:32 AM

I wouldn't worry about it. some years they seem to make a lot of drones. If everything else is well, i'd trust them to know what they are doing.

rwlaw · June 21, 2015, 11:17:13 AM

Could be she had "plumbing problems" and laid some drone eggs in worker cells. You won't know until they emerge. If indeed they are inclined to producing more drones, make sure you keep an eye on your mite count. I had one hive last year that all they wanted to do is pump out drones and they were a mite factory.

Michael Bush · June 21, 2015, 07:49:57 PM

Anything over 25% is too much.

rookie2531 · June 21, 2015, 08:27:15 PM

I had a hive this past early spring, had almost the medium FL super full of drone brood. But that was very early spring. Don't see much now.

AR Beekeeper · June 22, 2015, 11:06:26 AM

If you are trying to control varroa mites in your colony anything over 4% is too much. If you can keep the drone cells to 4% or below it reduces the varroa mite growth rate by 25%.

If you have a drone comb to place in the colony when you are having the frames of comb drawn out the bees will usually produce worker sized cells. After you have all of the worker comb for the brood chambers you can remove the drone comb and store it away. In the spring when the colony wants drones you can then put the comb back in for the queen to use. Search Drone Comb Trapping/Removal for mite control. Nick Calderone, at Cornell U. did a study that showed removing drones works.

Rurification · June 22, 2015, 03:28:09 PM

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. The mite issue is a pretty big deal. I'll be taking out the drone comb next time I go in.

Michael Bush · June 22, 2015, 05:34:36 PM

>If you are trying to control varroa mites in your colony anything over 4% is too much. If you can keep the drone cells to 4% or below it reduces the varroa mite growth rate by 25%.

Yet I do nothing to control them, have about 20% drone comb and no Varroa problems...

biggraham610 · June 23, 2015, 01:52:30 AM

Mine build what they want, usually one to 2 frames. Like in a tree. With no wired wax. They rear drones when they need to be flying, and they use those large cells for honey storage after. Brood breaks and local genetics help me with mite problems. VSH a few generations ago, but bred out to the locals now. Didnt treat last year or this so far, and hope not to. G

chux · June 23, 2015, 05:15:26 PM

One of the major reasons I am foundationless is that I want the bees to build whatever they feel like they need. If they are building drone comb, they need it for some reason. The queen will lay in it until the need is met. The comb will then be used as honey storage, or the space will be converted to what they need over time.

Rurification · June 23, 2015, 07:43:30 PM

I went foundationless for the same reasons. My problem is that the longer I do this, the less I feel I know. I'm in my 4th year and I know nothing. Every time I make a decision and do something, some mysterious factor X comes around and slaps me upside the head. [It feels a lot like graduate school did, actually.] Lately, I usually do nothing, then come here and ask questions. You guys are great about talking all the way around an issue and giving a lot of different perspectives. It doesn't help me crystal ball what to do, but I do feel better educated.

Michael Bush · June 24, 2015, 08:36:46 AM

>My problem is that the longer I do this, the less I feel I know.

Which is why, when you are in doubt, it pays to trust the bees.

chux · June 24, 2015, 10:57:07 AM

Yep. Doing something just because you feel like you ought to do "something," without really knowing why and what to do, could do more harm than good. Better to let the bees bee. Seems like Michael Bush said something to that effect about feeding.

tjc1 · June 24, 2015, 12:52:13 PM

Quote from: Rurification on June 23, 2015, 07:43:30 PM
I went foundationless for the same reasons. My problem is that the longer I do this, the less I feel I know. I'm in my 4th year and I know nothing. Every time I make a decision and do something, some mysterious factor X comes around and slaps me upside the head. [It feels a lot like graduate school did, actually.] Lately, I usually do nothing, then come here and ask questions. You guys are great about talking all the way around an issue and giving a lot of different perspectives. It doesn't help me crystal ball what to do, but I do feel better educated.

+1!

Eric Bosworth · June 29, 2015, 05:51:34 AM

Not using foundation I figure the bees know more than I do so other than making sure they have room I just let them bee.