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Author Topic: dead drones  (Read 2110 times)

Offline Carol

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dead drones
« on: February 19, 2014, 04:08:19 pm »
I noticed several dead drones in front of one of my hives...It is 2 deeps and they've drawn out comb in almost all frames...lots of bees...thought at first it was from robbing till I noticed they were drones.   

What's up?  not feeding enough?
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Offline obxbee

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Re: dead drones
« Reply #1 on: February 22, 2014, 07:29:39 pm »
I would think they kick them out as they do in the fall so the workers can survive the winter. Drones do not contribute any food stores to the colony. They only consume.
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Offline buzzbee

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Re: dead drones
« Reply #2 on: February 23, 2014, 07:06:44 am »
Carols colonies are in  build up mode right now.Perhaps these drones lived their life expectancy already,
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Offline Carol

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Re: dead drones
« Reply #3 on: February 23, 2014, 03:41:41 pm »
Buzzbee....I thought about that but there were at least 10 0r 15 so I thought they might have been sent packing if I wasn't feeding enough. Hope you are right. I havn't noticed any the last few days.
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Offline sc-bee

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Re: dead drones
« Reply #4 on: February 23, 2014, 09:17:48 pm »
I would think natural mortality...
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Offline Carol

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Re: dead drones
« Reply #5 on: March 16, 2014, 03:48:17 pm »
I am still finding a few dead drones in front of my hives. Early morning (6am or so) I can see a couple on the porch. I do see one or two in front of the other hive but not in the numbers in front of my "pink" hive.  Some of them are still moving around.
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Offline sc-bee

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Re: dead drones
« Reply #6 on: March 16, 2014, 05:00:16 pm »
Could they be dying after the deed? Anyway a few dead bees don't mean a whole lot.
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Offline GSF

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Re: dead drones
« Reply #7 on: March 16, 2014, 10:09:55 pm »
That's what I was thinking SC-Bee, Carol have you looked to see if it looks like something was tore out of them?
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Online BeeMaster2

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Re: dead drones
« Reply #8 on: March 16, 2014, 10:33:08 pm »
Do you really think Carrol has a drone congragation area right over the top of her hive. That is the only way she would have dead drones from mating. When they mate they pop and drop dead.
Jim
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Offline GSF

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Re: dead drones
« Reply #9 on: March 17, 2014, 06:36:35 am »
...another good point Jim.
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When the law no longer protects you from the corrupt, but protects the corrupt from you - then you know your nation is doomed.

Offline HomeSteadDreamer

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Re: dead drones
« Reply #10 on: March 17, 2014, 09:17:38 am »
Carol I know this might sound weird and I'm certainly not an expert but if it is different from your other hives....

Have you checked for varroa.  I have a hive whose spring count was high and it also has a pile of drones outside and through my observation window. I have watched girls carrying drones (still alive) out of the hive.  The drones seemed stunned.  Me and my husband wondered if they were dying or if they got stung and carried out.  We speculated that as they emerge if they have lots of mites maybe the girls were removing them.  We don't know why or if it is connected but I can see through my hive window the girls carrying them out.  We also thought it might be because the weather got cool again and they were just doing like the do in the fall and throwing the drones out.  However, as our mite count dropped they seemed to stop pulling drones out.  Of course I also removed most the drone cells so that may be why it stopped.  Wouldn't hurt to check for mites.
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Offline sc-bee

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Re: dead drones
« Reply #11 on: March 17, 2014, 11:03:48 am »
Quote from: sawdstmakr on March 16, 2014, 10:33:08 pm
Do you really think Carrol has a drone congragation area right over the top of her hive. That is the only way she would have dead drones from mating. When they mate they pop and drop dead.
Jim

I honestly had not given it much thought  :-D
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Online BeeMaster2

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Re: dead drones
« Reply #12 on: March 17, 2014, 12:46:56 pm »
Carol,
I would recommend you open that hive up and check every frame. It might be nothing more than nothing was in bloom and due to a shortage, they kicked them out. You may also have a queen problem. Look at your brood and the quantity of the drone cells. Look at the wings of the drones. Good chance they are deformed which would cause the bees to kick them out. If that is the case, check the wings of your queen. My first nuc queen had DFV (deformed wing virus) and most of the drones she produced had it, there were no workers once the original brood hatched out. Don't wait long, inspect this hive once this storm passes. Good luck.
Jim
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Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
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Offline Carol

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Re: dead drones
« Reply #13 on: March 17, 2014, 03:35:34 pm »
I didn't notice any deformed wings on the dead drones. I have observation windows in both deeps and don't see anything that looks bad....lots of bees. Only 68 this morning but there was a huge congregation of bees on the outside of the hive. Once it got daylight and the scouts started coming back they all disappeared.

If there are mites...would they still be on the drones?  I can gather up a few and check but didn't see any before.
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Offline HomeSteadDreamer

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Re: dead drones
« Reply #14 on: March 17, 2014, 06:18:30 pm »
I honestly don't know anything.  I just know that when you have multiple hives and only one has a pile of dead mostly drones it doesn't seem like it's their time explains this phenomenon.  I was thinking with my observation with some drones still being alive as the girls carry them out that maybe something else is going on.  I don't think a mite would stick around on a dead drone but I don't know.  Have you looked in your observation window to see if the girls are expelling live drones?
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Offline Carol

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Re: dead drones
« Reply #15 on: March 17, 2014, 07:00:01 pm »
I cannot see the entrance from the window...but early this morning I did see 4 drones on the porch...all looked alive...and later I saw a couple walking around on the ground.
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