brood cleaning, drone in particular

Mici · March 18, 2007, 05:03:41 PM

ok, i've noticed that one of my hives dragged out a few pupae-brood in lastest stages of development, almost completely. i've seen very few but hey, what i see on their landing board is probably less than 1% right? well usually they were drones, sometimes workers, but today i've noticed an adult but not fully developed drone on a landing board of another hive.
simple question: WHY???

last year i asked my menthor he said it's probably hunger, but it wasn't nor it is now. the next "explenation" was that it might be the wax moth-drills a hole throu the cell of developing bee, but i somehow doubt it, it's my strongesst hive!!

any other suggestions??

P.S.: saved the drone from today, have him in my room, LOL

buzzbee · March 18, 2007, 05:15:30 PM

Could the brood have gotten chilled by not having a enough bees to cover them?
That could happen if you had a warm spell and then it got cold again!
Just my two cents worth Mici

Mici · March 18, 2007, 06:41:12 PM

it can't be cold, first time i noticed it last year during summer. now they're doing it again and we've had really nice weather so far, up to 18Â°C during day, plus the drone i saved today, i fed him :lol: the bugger is doing great

tig · March 18, 2007, 07:34:26 PM

the bees take out diseased or malformed brood and pupa all the time. more so if it has good housecleaning behavior. did you notice anything like deformed wings on the brood they dragged out? could be mites.

Michael Bush · March 18, 2007, 08:27:48 PM

They often chew out Varroa infested pupae. Usually in the purple eyed stage.

Mici · March 19, 2007, 01:15:08 PM

i took a close look of each one of them but noticed nothing. the drone i salvaged yesterday is finelly developing in my room.

Brian D. Bray · March 20, 2007, 10:30:43 PM

It sounds like hygenic cleaning. Removing pupae invested with varroa in or near the final stage of development. If there's not a lot or worker brood, mostly drone brood, that would be my surmize. That type of hygenic action is much desired, it shows the bees are adapting to the varroa and making changes in their behavior to inhibit the little beasts. The mites would fall off of the removed brood once they are out of the cell. The only mite that might survive is the original female that entered the cell prior to it being capped.
If the bees are removing brood due to chill or chaulk brood it is still hygenic behavior and still desired.

Mici · March 21, 2007, 01:02:29 PM

am i glad to hear this..or should i be worried, found another one, this time worker. still alive, well probably dead by now, but still in my room. how big are my chances in seeing the bite mark or varoa poop*