One more stupid question

[Archer]

How do you know it's a drone laying and not the queen?:confused:

[beemandan]

How do you know it's a drone laying and not the queen?:confused:

A queen that lays only or mostly unfertilized eggs (drones) is called a drone layer.
A worker that lays is called a laying worker.
Drones don't have the anatomical hardware to lay any sort of eggs.

[NeilV]

Its never the drone laying. Drones don't lay eggs -- not ever.

I think what you are referring to is a "drone laying hive." What that means is that the hive has been queenless, they can't make a queen and some workers develop working ovaries and the ability to lay eggs. Drones come from unfertilized eggs. Since the "laying workers" have never mated, they can only lay unfertilized eggs to make drones. That's why its called a "drone laying hive" -- all of the new brood is drone brood.

You can tell is a drone laying hive because all of the new brood is drone cells. Also, the laying workers do not have long enough abdomens to deposit the eggs in the bottoms of the cells. So the eggs that are present may be on the sides of the cells instead of the bottom.

[Archer]

wow - I didn't realize just how stupid the question was - if I wasn't tired and it wasn't Monday, I would have realized DRONES DON'T LAY EGGS. thanks!