what to do with all these small drones

[tom]

Hello

  I have seen alot of drones today in hive 2 and i also notice that my bees are turning more like the first hive a dark color. Now i have seen some drones that are small like the workers i have checked into the hive and i have alot of worker brood and i have some drone brood and i have seen the workers biting off the wings of these small drones and pushing them off the front porch. Now what can i do to rid myself of these small drones i have been wanting to change out the combs with the drones brrod and put foundation in thier place would this be a good move. I have not seen no more then one egg per cell and it seems that some of the comb that has been drawn are being made into drone size but are being filled with honey and pollen and my queen is young and has just started to get some size on her like the first hive queen.

Tom

[Michael Bush]

> I have seen alot of drones today in hive 2 and i also notice that my bees are turning more like the first hive a dark color.

Drones drift a lot.

> Now i have seen some drones that are small like the workers i have checked into the hive and i have alot of worker brood and i have some drone brood and i have seen the workers biting off the wings of these small drones and pushing them off the front porch.

Very strange behavior. Are you sure they are drones?  The drones may not be from this hive.  Drones always vary a lot in size.

>Now what can i do to rid myself of these small drones

Sounds like the bees are ridding themselves of them.

[tom]

Hello

   Thank you sir for your reply i do think these drones are from this hive as far as i know and they are smaller then the workers they are the color of some of my workers that came with the package back in april. And i watch them and they alway's return to the hive and there are not that many drones cells in the comb but then again i have seen some feral bees before i got these so i am hoping they are from another colony. I tore open some of the drones cells to see any signs of mites on them and so far i have seen none i am going to have the local bee inspector to come out and have a look at them. Hive two is trying to pick up some and the blonde clor bees are slowly dying out and my carni's are showing up more as for the third hive i found out that the gentleman i got them from loves the buckfast bee and the three banded italians. So this third hive is a cross between the two breeds they were mean but now since theye have been around my other two they are not meeting me half way and i do not have to smoke them as heavy but my other two i do not use smoke on them at all.

Tom

[Brian D. Bray]

Don't get too complacent--keep in practice--smoke a little it does make a difference.

[tom]

Thank You

   I will keep in practice on the smoke and hive two has proven me wrong once again they do not send out alot of worlers but today i saw them in thier play flight and boy if they won't coming out in full force it seems this hive has a lot of young workers and is strong. But why are they so laid back and have alot of workers and how long will this playing keep up before they start to work in the field this play flight has been going on every other day and it seems that the more they play the group gets bigger and lot of the carni's are showing so maybe i will get this hive strong after all.

Tom

[Brian D. Bray]

Orientation flights, every pilot needs to learn where the airpport is.  Sounds like yur bees are built up pretty good--is there a honey flow in the offing in your area?

[tom]

Hi

   I do think they are building up for some reason i see a bass wood tree with blooms on it they are bringing in pollen like crazy and some can't even make to the hive without falling to the ground.My first hive is strong but they have not moved up into the second hive body yet and they have slowed down some but they are hanging on the front and the third hive is building up good also. I know that sourwood is coming soon i think in the middle of this month or in july so i guess they know what is going to come i live near the lake and there are tons of sourwood trees around so i might get some of that good honey this year.

Tom

[Brian D. Bray]

On the 1st hive, try reversering the hive bodies, the empty 1 to the bottom and the full 1 on top.