Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => REQUEENING & RAISING NEW QUEENS => Topic started by: Mbeck on October 04, 2012, 12:12:59 am

Title: Year round drones.
Post by: Mbeck on October 04, 2012, 12:12:59 am

How many months of the year do you have drones flying?

I still have plenty here in Florida and more are being raised.

Title: Re: Year round drones.
Post by: Mbeck on October 04, 2012, 08:06:03 am

How do you encourage a longer production season of drones?

Title: Re: Year round drones.
Post by: BeeMaster2 on October 04, 2012, 01:27:23 pm

Simple answer is, you don't. Hive strength, food sources, and the weather do.

I still have lots of drones in my hives. That will end as soon as the flow stops.
Jim

Title: Re: Year round drones.
Post by: AllenF on October 04, 2012, 08:37:52 pm

Drones do not do a hove any good if the bees can not fly in the winter.   Just a drain on the hive.   The hive controls the numbers of drones.   They know what is best. 

Title: Re: Year round drones.
Post by: Mbeck on October 05, 2012, 08:34:30 am

I'll try to encourage and maintain drones production numbers with a bit of pollen pattie and 1:1. Hopefully I can increase the length of time my hives have drones and increase the percentage of my drones flying in the local drone pool.
Bees fly here most everyday in the "winter".

Title: Re: Year round drones.
Post by: AllenF on October 05, 2012, 05:54:41 pm

Keep your patties small.   They are a buffet for the beetles.   

Title: Re: Year round drones.
Post by: Mbeck on October 05, 2012, 07:11:30 pm

The SHB love them and can completely infest any pattie not consumed in a week.
I mix them with HBH lots of sugar and feed only about a golf ball size.