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Author Topic: drones in the hive?  (Read 2837 times)

Offline Archie

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drones in the hive?
« on: November 08, 2004, 09:04:40 pm »
Hi all,

This has been a strange fall.  Yesterday, Sunday, it was about 65 degrees and the bees were out and flying to some unknown place.  What really supprised me was the drones still in the hives.  We have had a few cold nights down in the lower twenties.  I thought the drones would be history by now.... :?:

Another happening....On one hive, I placed three medium supers that had extracted frames.  I placed these supers on top of the inner cover.  Now, the bees are making more honey in some of the frames and they have refused to leave the supers.  I can get the bees out but what about the new uncapped honey in the frames.  Can I take these supers off and store them with the raw honey?

Maybe we are going to have a very mild winter....  

let me have your thoughts
Honey, Vermont sunshine in a bottle.

Offline leominsterbeeman

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Winter
« Reply #1 on: November 08, 2004, 11:27:48 pm »
It better be a mild winter.  I've been telling everyone that it will be mild, based upon my unscientific tests -  it's been cold for that last 3 winters, it's due ot be better..... :?

I have read that bees will keep some drones, just in case they need an emergency virvin queen breeder and also, because of the their body size, the drones are able to produce more heat for the winter cluster.  

So it might not be that strange to see a few drones inside the hive.
Michael Keane
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http://www.leominsterbeeman.com

Anonymous

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drones in the hive?
« Reply #2 on: November 09, 2004, 10:27:13 am »
Archie,
If you take the supers off you should either freeze them or flush out the raw honey. Since it isn't capped it probably has too much water in it and will ferment over the winter. If there isn't too much in the frames the bees will clean it out next spring when you put it back on the hives, but why make them do more work than they have to and it will probably smell up the room where you store it for the winter.
One thing you might try yet before it gets too cold is to place an empty super (no frames at all) between the inner cover and the supers with the honey in it. The bees seem to think that the open space disassociates the the honey from their hive and will normally move it down into the hive proper.