Today in the Apiary ...

[little john]

Couple of interesting observations in the apiary today ...

The first was outside the entrance to a mating nuc which is being raised on top of a brood box (more about that technique in another post).  There were a number of girls with their bums in the air fanning away - 2 p.m. on a nice warm sunny day - pretty obviously sending out a homing signal for the returning (post-virgin) queen.  So I waited with camera ready, and waited, and waited ... eventualy got bored and went for a coffee.  On my return, 15 mins later, not a single bee outside the entrance. Missed her.




Another interesting observation was related to the opinion some people hold that beehive landing boards are unnecessary. 
But - where else would drones meet-up after a hard days flying to discuss the meaning of life ... ? 




LJ

[Rurification]

Those are all [or mostly] drones?   wow.

[MikeyN.C.]

LJ, I've heard that some use the slatted rack with a standard bottom board to give drones a place underneath,  but some say the queen can hide under there to

[little john]

Robin - yes, mostly drones - maybe 20% or so are worker size, (which could mean 'mini-drones', ex-drone-laying-queen colony - the frames from which I spread around the apiary a short while ago).  I've got landing boards on roughly half my hives and, with the exception of guards that sometimes come out onto the boards to challenge intruders, the bees are either 'in' or 'out' - I've never seen them congregate on the board quite like this before - so I thought it was worth taking a picture.

This sight is occurring every afternoon, roughly between 3 and 4 p.m. They appear to be just 'hanging out', touching antennae and chatting away, otherwise not showing much in the way of activity.  Unlike the busy in-bound and out-bound foragers which are skimming over their heads to and from the hive entrance, it's as if these guys are all on vacation ...  very curious.

Mikey's post might offer a solution to 'why' this hive and not others ...  the combs in this hive are not yet fully drawn out, so there's a 2-3" gap at the bottom of the frames - only inches away from the Landing Board - so maybe the drones don't make any distinction between that space, and the area just outside - which, during the afternoon, is being pleasantly warmed by the sun. 
Well - it's a theory ...

LJ

[Dabbler]

 
But - where else would drones meet-up after a hard days flying to discuss the meaning of life ... ? 

LJ

In my area, the Drones hang out at the local "watering hole". . . . .  oh wait ! . . . . whose are human drones.  Never mind  . . . .   

Is that a robbing screen on hive? It looks elegantly simple. How is it attached to the hive body?

Spence

[tjc1]

I often see something like that at about 3:00 pm - seems to be the end of the work day for the drones, who are all coming home from 'the Drones Club' (tip of the hat to PG Wodehouse!) aka the Drone Congregation Area.

[Rurification]

Thanks for the extra information.   I don't have landing boards anymore so I've never noticed.  WIll have to keep my eyes open for another place they might hang out...

[divemaster1963]

Naw little John. All then guys are checking each other's breath before entering  the to make sure the lasses don't smell the ale on their breath . they were all at the pub drinking will the ladies were working

John

[Michael Bush]

>But - where else would drones meet-up after a hard days flying to discuss the meaning of life ... ? 

And why make it hard for the mice to get in?

[little john]

The sides of the base and the landing board are made fron uPVC - that stuff's as smooth as glass - if a mouse ever manages to get into that hive, I'll eat my shirt ...

LJ

[Hops Brewster]

LJ, that queen was probably circling the yard, waiting for you to leave before she came in.  I think she was ashamed to face you after losing her virginity in such a randy fashion. 

[Dallasbeek]

Robin - yes, mostly drones - maybe 20% or so are worker size, (which could mean 'mini-drones', ex-drone-laying-queen colony - the frames from which I spread around the apiary a short while ago).


LJ

LJ, are you saying drones from a poorly performing queen (or maybe a laying worker) are smaller in size than normal drones?

[little john]

Robin - yes, mostly drones - maybe 20% or so are worker size, (which could mean 'mini-drones', ex-drone-laying-queen colony - the frames from which I spread around the apiary a short while ago).

LJ

LJ, are you saying drones from a poorly performing queen (or maybe a laying worker) are smaller in size than normal drones?

No - here I was specifically referring to a drone-laying queen - which would have laid unfertilised eggs in both drone and worker-sized cells and, being unfertilised, they were all thus destined to develop into drones.
Those in the drone cells would have reached normal size (for a drone), but those developed in worker-sized cells will be significantly smaller - and as such no use to man nor beast - as they will not be carrying out worker duties, nor will they be able to compete with regular sized drones in the mating stakes.

I really should have culled them, but for some reason (getting old and forgetful maybe ?) I didn't get around to it.

Re: laying workers etc - it's the same story.  Eggs laid in drone cells = drones.  Eggs laid in worker cells = mini-drones.  Assuming they survive to emergence, of course.

LJ

[Dallasbeek]

LJ,  Thanks for clarifying that.  So the egg being layed in a worker cell, it's the smaller cell that stunts the development of the unfertilized bee (drone).  Interesting observation.

[little john]

LJ,  Thanks for clarifying that.  So the egg being layed in a worker cell, it's the smaller cell that stunts the development of the unfertilized bee (drone).  Interesting observation.

It's exactly the same underlying principle as when 'small-cell' (which I call 'natural cell') -sized foundation is installed instead of the regular stuff - smaller bees result.  Again, it's the size of the cell which directly determines the size of the bee which emerges.

Which raises an interesting thought (in my mind, anyway) - although a queen would not normally lay a fertilised egg in a drone cell ...  what if such an egg was physically transferred from a worker to a drone cell.  Would a drone-sized worker result, would the girls 'smell a rat' and abort the larva, or would they consider it to be a queen-in-the-making, and develop it into a queen cell ?

Who knows ?  Just one of those weird thoughts which cross my mind from time to time.

LJ

[PhilK]

Why not try it? Graft an egg out of a worker cell into a drone cell and see what happens!

[Dallasbeek]

Why not try it? Graft an egg out of a worker cell into a drone cell and see what happens!

Big honking worker!

[Michael Bush]

>Which raises an interesting thought (in my mind, anyway) - although a queen would not normally lay a fertilised egg in a drone cell ...  what if such an egg was physically transferred from a worker to a drone cell.  Would a drone-sized worker result, would the girls 'smell a rat' and abort the larva, or would they consider it to be a queen-in-the-making, and develop it into a queen cell ?

There is no easy way to do an egg, but you can do a larvae easily enough.  The bees usually remove them.  If you set the stage and manage to get them to care for them they get flat caps and develop into somewhat, but not significantly, larger bees than in regular cells.  i.e. they are half again as big as a "small cell" bee, but not significantly larger than a "large cell" bee.

>Why not try it? Graft an egg out of a worker cell into a drone cell and see what happens!

Well, a larvae anyway... yes.  Let us know if you have the same results.

[PhilK]

Have you tried this before MB?