BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER > GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM.
They did NOT swarm
2Sox:
Not question here; just an observation. But comments welcome.
I was lucky this year beacause I caught them in time. I "opened the brood" nests in all the colonies - The technique that Michael Bush describes in detail in his online book - and had no swarm issue. Then I went in a checkerboarded the honey supers. Then an interesting thing happened that I hadn?t ever seen before - and it was easier to see because I have all my colonies in my back yard on concrete. They were dumping out thousands of drones all over the ground. Just didn?t need them anymore, I guess.
I also pulled out many - not all - of the drone combs from all the colonies. Wasn?t sure if this helped anything though.
*The post has been modified to give much deserved credit to Michael Bush.
The15thMember:
I have had several colonies dump their drones this spring at different times. Sometimes it's adults, sometimes it's pulled pupae, sometimes both. I'm not sure if my swarming or non-swarming colonies were the ones who were doing it.
Ben Framed:
Did y'all happen to check these drone larva or pupa for signs of mites?
Phillip
The15thMember:
--- Quote from: Ben Framed on May 30, 2023, 12:46:42 am ---Did y'all happen to check these drone larva or pupa for signs of mites?
Phillip
--- End quote ---
Not specifically, although I did look the one pile over just to be sure everything seemed normal with the drones and it did. I didn't see any mites, deformed wings, etc., although all I did was a cursory visual inspection.
Ben Framed:
--- Quote ---The15thMember
sometimes it's pulled pupae
--- End quote ---
The pulled pupae would be my interest. Does anyone here know if Varro Destructor will leave pulled pupae once that pupae has been pulled?
Phillip
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