Early drone ejection....?

[AliciaH]

Hello, folks!  I need help with a puzzle...

Inspected my apiary yesterday and found a variation on a theme -- early drone ejection, but only by one hive.  I'm used to seeing this in the fall and during drought.  But where I am, we are in the middle of a blackberry flow, day and night temps are moderate, we're still getting intermittent rain.  This hive has a 2 deep hive body and was a new package hived 5/1.  They still have room, have a good amount of food stored, still have the original queen, aren't showing any indications of swarming, yet.  The brood area isn't cramped in any way.  Temperament is good, great in fact!  All in all a really nice hive of bees.

What would make this hive, one out of 17 for this location, eject their drones this early, out of character with the rest of the apiary?

I feel like I'm missing something, I just can't figure out what.

[iddee]

What is your varroa count? It could be they are doing some hygienic cleaning of mite infested cells.

[GSF]

Is it new comb or drawn comb from other hives?

[AliciaH]

Idee:  I always assume I have a varroa load, though there were no indications it was above "normal" (for what that's worth).  Brood caps consistent and smooth, no holes in them.  No k-wing or deformed wing foung.  Everyone looks great!  Your theory is noted, though, and i will take another look next trip out with that in mind. 

GSF:  I always start packages with 1 or 2 frames of drawn comb so the queen can lay right away, but ask them to draw the other 8 new.  The 2nd deep would have had a combination of both, as well.  Did you have a theory?

[GSF]

Alicia, I was just searching in my mind how a package of bees could have succumb to varroa that soon. My guess would have been twofold, the combs were full or full enough of varroa or the package bees were.

It may not be the varroa at all but maybe they're not satisfied with the amount of food they're finding in nature. Then again it might just be that colony of bees will do that. I have quite a few hives. Some of them are chunking drone brood out the front door and not a drone to be found in the hive. Others are still laying drone brood and adult drones are quite numerous in the hive.

[AliciaH]

Thanks for explanation, GSF!  To clarify, the older comb that I use for new packages is drawn and empty.  So no brood to carry over a varroa load.  Not to say that there wasn't a load that came with the package, just that it wouldn't have come from the frames. 

This may just be one of those delightful bee mysteries! 

[AliciaH]

A friend sent me this link:

  http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fhoneybeesuite.com%2Fthe-mystery-of-the-dead-drones%2F&h=5AQE-dc1J

It has an interesting theory in the "discussion" section about brood-heavy colonies and the timing of food sources.  In a nutshell, the theory would be that my colony was brood heavy and in the short period of time before the blackberries started, they may have determined that there wasn't enough food to be found, so kicked out the drones.  Interesting theory.