drone problem?

[wyobee]

Today while checking on my two hives and noticed what i thought was a large number of drones milling around on both hives, I guess they could have been large field bees but they looked larger than that. I captured one and found no stinger so I am assuming that they are drones. why would there be so many at this time of the year... and in both of my hives?


Thanks for the help!

[Cedar Hill]

During the fall and cold weather arriving, when there are drones in a hive or hives, when all the other hives are not allowing them in, it means only one thing, a queen failure somewhere. A hive that will allow drones to remain pass "their time" is keeping the drones in reserve because of 1. a virgin queen 2. queen cells 3. or has a dronelaying queen or dronelayers. OMTCW

[wyobee]

both hives are new this year, so the queens are not old, plus it is strange that both hives would have a queen failure at the same time?

[sierrabees]

<plus it is strange that both hives would have a queen failure at the same time? >

One thing I have learned over the years is that my bees don't read the book or follow the lesson plan. Most of the time they seem to know the rules of the game but some years they just make up their own rules.