Is Summer over already - drone kickout

[JohnBeeMan]

I noticed my strongest hive was kicking out drones yesterday. Most of the drones appeared to be fully developed by dying on the ground in front of hive.

Could this be due to mite infection? Drifting drones from other hives? An antimale colony?

[Gene Weitzel]

I have seen them kick out drones that had mated and were trying to return to the hive.

[thomas]

Hello you are lucky at least you have drones i am still waiting for the weather to get right here in south eastern Va. My girls are bring in pollen like mad but they are also taking in a lot of syrup mixed with honey-B- healthy they seem to really be going at it two of my hives are building up good but now i see why people say caucasians are slow to build up because they are not working like the others but maybe i will have drones soon.

Tom

[Aisha]

They drag the damaged drones out. I think it's mites. I have some of that too because I had so many spring drones. Some get dragged out alive and kicking but they can't fly. They got weakened by mites.

They also drag out the damaged drone pupae if you have hygienic bees.

[fuzzybeekeeper]

Gene,

I thought that drones died immediately after mating. Kind of like a bee losing her stinger. I have never heard of drones making it back to the hive after mating. Also, even if each queen mated with 15 drones, if you divided that number among the number of hives/wild nests around, that wouldn't be more than a couple of drones per hive.

This is just something new to me.

Fuzzybeekeeper

[Gene Weitzel]

Gene,

I thought that drones died immediately after mating. Kind of like a bee losing her stinger. I have never heard of drones making it back to the hive after mating. Also, even if each queen mated with 15 drones, if you divided that number among the number of hives/wild nests around, that wouldn't be more than a couple of drones per hive.

This is just something new to me.

Fuzzybeekeeper

I was kind of amazed by it myself, but the fact that it was not an isolated observation combined with the telltale signs of goop dangling from their backside made any other explanation seem unlikely. The only other thing I can think of is that my hive yard may be pretty close to a DCA and these guys are not all necessarily from my hives and just "stumbled" back to closest one they could find.

[ScadsOBees]

Could be mites, but you don't mention crinkley wings.

If there is a dearth the bees will sometime try to get rid of drones, extra mouths to feed. I wouldn't think that you'd have a dearth yet, but then again I'm in michigan and we haven't had nothin' yet...

rick

[clintonbemrose]

You may also be starting a dirth. with no nector comming in the hives will expell the drones because they eat so much food.
Clint

[AstroBee]

Are all your colonies queenright? Maybe there's nearby drone laying colony? Just a guess.

[JohnBeeMan]

Astro,

I think you hit on the answer. I do have a colony that has a drone layer. New queen should be here in a week.

[naturebee]

You may also be starting a dirth. with no nector comming in the hives will expell the drones because they eat so much food.
Clint

Great Answer Clinton!
I will go with Clinton on this.

As to some of the other replies which were good, but the timing is off.

First the mite theory:
It is too early for bees to be kicking out drones due to mites. Drone pupa can handle a great amount of infestation from mites, and bees will not expel them. Populations of mites are low at this time of year. Drone kick out typically occurs in summer and fall. And then, not generally due to them being mite infested, more so the desire to rid the colony of drones the main cause for expelling drones here.

The mating theory:
Its probably too early even for Fredericksburg, Va for mating to begin.

Perhaps, due to poor weather, the lack of incoming pollen is the cause for the bees to expel drones. Studies have shown that a pollen dearth at any time of the year will cause this to happen.

Best Wishes,
Joe

[Shapleigh's Bees]

Thank goodness! It's still snowing here and the thought of summer being over before spring arrives...

[irwin harlton]

Notice that Gus Ruse stock , Carinie from Hawaii allows drones to be around all winter, see them late in the fall and seen them again early last week.This is quite different fom other california stock , usually Italian where there is usually a mass kickout in the fall.Ayone care to comment