[karenarnett]

I put a couple frames of all drone brood, that I'd put in the freezer overnight, back into the hive, in a new top super, and by this morning there was a big pile of drone brood right out front of the hive. They work fast! And by the way, I saw a drone pulling a dead one out, so those drones do housekeeping too, despite the going notion that they do nothing but eat and hang out in drone congregating areas.

 

[Phoebee]

Hmmm ... I have a couple of those drone brood frames installed. Sounds as if I should lurk out there with a video camera to catch the evidence that drones can do housekeeping.

I've been looking into making a small observation hive. Our club has one that holds two frames, not enough for a viable colony, so you just transfer a couple of frames to it for a day or so when you want to do show and tell. One frame of brood and a frame of dead drones might make a good photo-op.

 

[karenarnett]

Do they behave in the same way in an observation hive as they would in their full colony? Always seems to me like it just wouldn't be business as usual. I'd love to watch inside a hive though.

 

[Intheswamp]

That drone wasn't doing housework, it was more like the drone was grabbing the larva by the shoulders, shaking him and yelling "Little brother...LITTLE BROTHER!!!! TALK TO ME!!!! OH HORRORS!!!! WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOU!!!??????...."

 

[Phoebee]

Do they behave in the same way in an observation hive as they would in their full colony? Always seems to me like it just wouldn't be business as usual. I'd love to watch inside a hive though.

That's an unanswerable question, like the tree falling in the forest making a sound if there is nobody around! I'm sure putting them in an observation hive makes some difference. If nothing else they are cooler, exposed to light instead of dark, and don't have another comb adjacent to them. But they SEEM to just go about their business. The queen keeps laying, her retinue keeps encircling her, they seem to just keep doing bee chores.