Drone killin --- drones living

[Cindi]

Hmm...one of the weirdest things that I have ever seen.  My hive that is the strongest in the apiary (I have 9 colonies, including the 1 swarm caught on Saturday) has been offing the drones left, right and centre.  There are drones in the purple eye stage, drones that would have emerged in a day or so and adult drones all dead infront of their colony.  I see bees pulling out the drone larvae and flying off with them, dropping them onto the ground and this is going on in a huge way.  There are a couple of other colonies that are getting rid of some, but nothing like what this big colony is doing.  Those poor drones, they never meant anyone any harm  :roll:

Yesterday I was investigating my only pure Carniolan colony.  Narry a drone outside their home being offed.  Also, upon looking inside, I saw big fat drones all over the combs, having a great hay day in there.  Happy as can be, no death wish for them....yet....

My curiosity has again got the better of me.  Any comments on why one colony is so intent on drone removal, and others only beginning, and then the Carniolan still 100% allowing drones to live?

I have a couple of theories. The first one that comes to my mind. 

1.  The Carniolan breed is known to be a breed that is more adapted to cooler temperatures, has a smaller winter cluster and will also  fly earlier in the spring (compared to say, the Italian breed).  They don't see the need for drone kill yet because they can withstand cooler temperatures.

2.  The colony is so big that they raised more drones and this is why so many drones are seen.

We have still very very warm days (about 25C highs), and have had now for about a week, no rain in sight yet.  Nectar flow going on like there was no tomorrow.  The nights are becoming very cool though.  Have a wonderful day, love this life we're livin'.  Cindi

[Michael Bush]

The darker bees keep more drones longer.  Usually there are a few all winter.  They wait longer to get rid of them also.  Queenless hives also keep drones longer and tolerate more of them.  Both are possible explanations.

[Brian D. Bray]

All my hives are 86ing the drones right now.  they had stopped laying drone brood about a month ago, more or less, so there was very few pupae to dig out, what little there were of those the yellow jackets made off with.  The Italians, MH, and Russians are all doing away with the drones.

One thing I noticed this year is that the yellow jackets are more into entering the hives than last year.  I think the reason for that is that over the winter I pruned the orchard back big time so there is little fruit for the YJ's to feed on. 

[Cindi]

Makes perfect sense.  The two colonies that don't seem to be offing any drones at all are the Carniolan nuc I made from the overwintered Carniolan colony I babied all winter with the terrarium heater and that overwintered Carniolan colony.  I see two other Italian colonies that are not offing many yet, but the others, oh dear, the drones' time has come. (I have a tale to tell about these two Carniolan colonies, but that will come under another topic).

The yellowjackets are making good use of the drones outside on the ground, but I still have a vendetta against them.  I stand beside the colonies and wait until they are busy munching away and I step on them and squish them, have killed many.  It is an evil passtime and I like to take breaks while I am working outside, so why not stand and yellowjacket kill  :evil: :roll:

My wasp traps are always loaded every day with the bald faced hornet and yellowjackets, that brings me great pleasure too. 

Brian, your orchard must be lovely.  What kind of fruits do you grow?  I only have one cherry tree and two apple trees, one apple is Gravenstein and the other is Goodland or something like that.  The Gravenstein I planted last fall, so did not bear fruit this year, maybe next year, and Goodland didn't bear any flowers even this year, it was planted 4 years ago, that was weird.

I have other fruits, but not actual fruit trees, I would love to plant more one day.  Have a beautiful day, best of our wonderful life.  Cindi

[Brian D. Bray]

I have 6 old apple trees that were here when my parents bought the place almost 40 years ago-they weren't young trees then.  I know 1 is a gravenstien, 1 a Red Delicious, and 1 crab apple, the others are a you-tell-me variety. Also in the orchard were 3 prune trees and a pear tree.  This year my wife and I planted 2 more pear trees, 3 cherry trees (Pie, Bing, and Red) plus a freebe peach tree that came with the other stuff we ordered.

I'm nursing 2 hazelnut bushes (Tukwila in Chinook Jargon) and some red globe grape shots I started from seed I saved from fruit I bought at the store.  I also have a berry patch of strawberries, Raspberries, Gooseberries, Currents, Blue berries, and Rhubarb.

My farming rules are: Do it the old way. My farming methods were learned from my Grandfather so they all date from the 1800's.  I try to stay chemical free in everyway.  But that doen't mean I can't make use of some modern ideas like raised bed gardening.

[Cindi]

Brian, that is cool, I like the way you think.  I am an old fashioned type of gardener too, I believe in the old tried and true....

I forgot, I have other stuff too in the way of fruits.  Two species of grapes, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, rhubarb.  I admire that you have so much on your property, you are a lucky man, yeah!!!!  Wonder how your grapes from the seed will work out, I don't see why they shouldn't grow like made demons!!!  You are lucky that you can grow peaches.  My particular are is too cold I think, but not too far north, as you know if the Okanagan, they have lovely peaches.  Yeah.  Have a wonderful day, best of our great life.  Cindi