# Drone Brood and New Queen



## tarheit (Mar 26, 2003)

It could be normal, they will raise lots of drones when resources are plentiful. It's always hard to guess though looking at the queen though the pattern looks good above the drone brood. How do the other frames look? If the rest of the brood looks good then she should be ok. 

Don't know about this other queen though. You can always tell if their mated by looking at her spermathica, but the queen isn't much good after that.

-Tim


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Aisha said:


> I took a peak in today after a month. I have 8-10 frames of normal capped brood and good looking eggs, but then I have this crazy frame which is 50% drone brood! And lots of drones flying around.
> 
> Is this normal in the spring?


Looking at your pic...did you use foundation in that frame? Wired foundation...I don't see any vertical wires, so I was wondering if the comb was started with wired foundation, comb foundation, starter strip, or nothing?


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## Aisha (May 2, 2007)

Michael Palmer said:


> Looking at your pic...did you use foundation in that frame?


No. This was natural drawn comb.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Aisha said:


> No. This was natural drawn comb.


Well, that's why. Totally normal.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

In Austin TX, that would be normal this time of year.


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## Aisha (May 2, 2007)

Michael Palmer said:


> Well, that's why. Totally normal.


I hadn't heard about this. Are queens more likely to lay drones in natural comb as opposed to wired foundation?


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

Aisha said:


> I hadn't heard about this. Are queens more likely to lay drones in natural comb as opposed to wired foundation?


Queens are more likely to lay drones in drone cells, drone cells are more likely to be formed in natural comb rather than comb built on foundation, though it is possible for the bees to build drone sized cells even on worker foundation. They are just more likely to build drone cells wherever they choose in foundationless combs.


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## Aisha (May 2, 2007)

Joseph Clemens said:


> Queens are more likely to lay drones in drone cells, drone cells are more likely to be formed in natural comb rather than comb built on foundation,...


Well, that is good to know. This is my first spring and all the drones all of a sudden was quite a surprise! At least all the virgin queens for miles around will be well courted this spring. 

I guess that frame will become a honey frame above the queen excluder when they are done with it...and I'll have to invest in one of those freezable plastic drone frames for them. I don't like the mite load that comes with all that drone brood. Nosirree.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

They will rear the same number of drones no matter what you do:

Levin, C.G. and C.H. Collison. 1991. The production and distribution of drone comb and brood in honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies as affected by freedom in comb construction. BeeScience 1: 203-211.


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## Aisha (May 2, 2007)

I found my old queen on a frame today. She looks fat and happy. There is lots of normal brood so I think she is doing fine. 

I just had never seen so much drone brood before. In fact I took another frame like that out today and put it in the freezer.


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