Late season drones -why?

[Tommy Tip Top]

Late season here in uk - almost honey crop time.
Notice small amount of drone brood ( from healthy laying queens ) still appearing in several hives. Why are the bees still making drones so late in the season?

[Joseph Clemens]

Maybe they're expecting a mild Winter or a late Autumn (perhaps an Indian Summer).

[Keth Comollo]

Perhaps a bachelor party is coming up?

[Tom B]

All of my hives have a frame of drone brood at this time of year. For some reason, this is the way the colony wants it. It is usually stuffed into the outside frame in the brood box, or sometimes (irritatingly) along the bottom of one of the honey frames in the top box. I am sure if I would remove it the bees would just replace it with more drone brood (wasting additional resources), so I just leave it be.

[Ben Franklin]

I have see little in drone cells. Kinda concerned since I have a queenless hive, with queen cells in it.

[TokerM]

Queens don't mate with drones from their own hive. Natures way of keeping genetic diversity. The "virgin Connie Swail" of your hive will mate with neighbors drones.