Is it normal for... ?

Started by spafmagic, September 10, 2019, 03:50:19 PM

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spafmagic

September 10, 2019, 03:50:19 PM
Just got done inspecting a hive in Stokesdale North Carolina. For the most part, Mama bee has been busy laying workers. There are a good few frames full of worker brood. There are a couple of frames however, that are at least 70% full of capped honey with a mix of worker and drone brood on the bottom. Is that particularly normal for this time of year to have drone brood "baking in the oven" this late?

*edit*
I do have a medium super on top with a queen excluder. And they are definitely taking advantage of it now as well.

van from Arkansas

#1
September 10, 2019, 04:02:16 PM Last Edit: September 10, 2019, 04:30:05 PM by van from Arkansas
I inspected this AM and I also saw drone brood in one of three hives I looked at.  Not much drone brood compared to worker brood, but kinda surprised to see the drone brood.

My area is having a bit of a flow, lots of pollen coming in, hives gaining weight, maybe reason for some drone brood...???  Maybe.

I will add, one hive I inspected this AM had the one of the prettiest frames of bee bread and capped honey I have laid eyes on.  Ready for winter.
Van
I have been around bees a long time, since birth.  I am a hobbyist so my answers often reflect this fact.  I concentrate on genetics, raise my own queens by wet graft, nicot, with natural or II breeding.  I do not sell queens, I will give queens  for free but no shipping.

Donovan J

#2
September 10, 2019, 10:16:43 PM
My hives also have drone brood. I wonder why?

Ben Framed

#3
September 11, 2019, 02:09:30 AM
Quote from: Xerox on September 10, 2019, 10:16:43 PM
My hives also have drone brood. I wonder why?

Same here.

Nock

#4
September 11, 2019, 10:00:40 AM
I have drones as well. First I?ve seen since late June when they were dragging them out of hive.

cao

#5
September 11, 2019, 11:17:26 AM
Just speculation but maybe they are producing drones in case there is a late fall supercedure occurring.  If there are no drones around then a failing queen in the fall will be the death of the hive.  I suspect that hives are used to taking care of a certain amount of drones and if the drones are not there then they will raise a few more. 

yes2matt

#6
September 12, 2019, 06:59:05 AM
Quote from: spafmagic on September 10, 2019, 03:50:19 PM
Just got done inspecting a hive in Stokesdale North Carolina. For the most part, Mama bee has been busy laying workers. There are a good few frames full of worker brood. There are a couple of frames however, that are at least 70% full of capped honey with a mix of worker and drone brood on the bottom. Is that particularly normal for this time of year to have drone brood "baking in the oven" this late?

*edit*
I do have a medium super on top with a queen excluder. And they are definitely taking advantage of it now as well.
Yes. You've probably got a good goldenrod flow and maybe buckwheat coming in. Bees are responding to that abundance by raising a round of drones. I bet they backfill those drone cells with nectar as soon as they emerge.

It's kinda sad, really, for the drones. They'll most likely be kicked out and starve and never "fulfill their mission."
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