drones

**hypostatic** · 12-06-2013, 10:28 AM

Guys, stupid question really but i gotta ask.

Have my first hive, the bees are doing great, making brood, wax on frames and eating all the foundation plus eggs.

Still trying to find my queen though and i noticed some drones. Now i know that the queen only mates once in her life but does that mean that drones only appear once in a hive?

I noticed 2 drones in there but that was all.

Any thoughts?

Dave

**brothermoo** · 12-06-2013, 10:33 AM

A hive produces drones coming into summer for the mating season, they all want to get their genetic material into the mix.

Drones bring balance to a hive too, kind of like hens being more settled when there is a rooster in the group.

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**hypostatic** · 12-06-2013, 10:35 AM

even if the queen has already mated and wont mate again?

**The Drone Ranger** · 12-06-2013, 11:32 AM

Originally Posted by hypostatic

even if the queen has already mated and wont mate again?

Hi Hypo
Have you got drone brood in your hive now
Check online for pictures of how it looks
The cappings are raised up in a dome over the brood and the cells look bigger
Adult drones can just wander in and out out any hive so you never know for sure if they are yours
If your queen is mated they are not there for anything but a bit of a rest and a nosh
Is your queen marked if not then it's best to get that done so you can see her more easily
If she needs marking you can get some crusty old git from the beekeeping assoc to help find and mark her

Here's some not infallible tips when looking for her
First make sure you know what a queen looks like
Second forget about looking at anything else during this inspection only look for her don't get distracted
Check the sides as well as the faces of the frames
Don't use much smoke a couple of light puffs at the entrance is OK
The queen often is a different colour than the bees so scan over the frame looking for that first
She is longer and bigger and possibly moving slower if you are lucky
Start at one side work your way across the broodbox
Don't assume she wont be on the first frame out she may well be
Likelihood is she will be on one of the frames with brood often one with young brood but not always
If you don't find her you can take the end frames out and move all the others into pairs don't close the hive the theory is she will be between one of the pairs hiding from the light

If you haven't found her don't worry just check for eggs and no queen cells
Try again another day this time forget about her being a different colour and concentrate on looking for long spindly legs and body

Desperate measures pick a good day move the hive 6 ft away and put a spare box (or your super if there was one on )in its place
have a cup of tea let your back recover
after a while go back to the broodbox and have a look for the queen
Now the flying bees are elsewhere there are less bees in the box to block your view
Follow all the stages above and you will find her
Have all your marking paraphernalia ready because even the marked ones need remarking if it wears off
Make sure you really look at her and next time you will recognise her very quickly

Good luck

I can't find them sometimes (usually when it matters most) but if there are egg then she is there