Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: josbees on October 23, 2008, 05:24:26 pm

Title: Drone larvae getting thrown out, perhaps?
Post by: josbees on October 23, 2008, 05:24:26 pm

Was watching the girls chasing out the drones today when I noticed something interesting on the ground in front of the hive.  There were maybe a dozen cream colored objects which on closer inspection seem to be dead larvae.  Legs, carapace, etc.  Could these be drone larvae that the bees are cleaning out of the hive?  Tried to get a picture, but couldn't get the camera to focus that small.  Yes, time for an SLR.

Title: Re: Drone larvae getting thrown out, perhaps?
Post by: Brian D. Bray on October 23, 2008, 06:08:31 pm

Could be.  When the bees get around to running out the drones they often pull what drone pupae still remains from the cells.  In a hive with Hygenic behavior seeing a few pupae around is fairly common but the ants usually make off with the pupae before we see them.  Hygenics are good in that ddiseased or varroa infected larva are desposed of while still in the pupae stage.