# Can Drones smell or detect Virgin Queens



## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

According to my calculations and the fact that I had nurse bees cutting open the ends of some of the queen cells yesterday, my queen should have started emerging today. 

My hive has a small 3/16 side vent with screen in it. This is due to the box has slots for a devider and we notched through the handle grooves when I cut the slots. So I screened it over and they can close it or not as they like. 

Well this morning it was in the mid 50s and the bees were very inactive for most the morning. As temps moved into the 70s the drones were out in force and all swarming in the air around the small slot. Some were entering the hive thru the bottom entrance and I didn't see any being driven off by workers, but man, they were is swarm in the air around that vent (one on the down wind side of the hive). None bunched around any opening, just there.

Maybe love in the air (and maybe I might get a mated queen before winter). 

I am new at this but sure seemed like something in that section of the hive had them attracted. Does anyone know if the virgin queens emit a lure to make drones chase them.


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## Bees everywehere (Oct 7, 2013)

Hello I am new to the site.. like you question, hope to learn more

Chris


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## Velbert (Mar 19, 2006)

I thing you got it right the drones smell the virgin queens.

In my mating nucs don't hardly have any drones then when. queen hatches you will find several drones that they had not had.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

From the University of Illinois:


> *HOW DRONES FIND QUEENS: ODORANT RECEPTOR FOR QUEEN PHEROMONE IDENTIFIED*
> 
> The mating ritual of the honey bee is a mysterious affair, occurring at dizzying heights in zones identifiable only to a queen and the horde of drones that court her. Now a research team led by the University of Illinois has identified an odorant receptor that allows male drones to find a queen in flight. The receptor, on the male antennae, can detect an available queen up to *60 meters away.*
> 
> http://news.illinois.edu/news/07/0830queenbee.html


:thumbsup: :thumbsup:


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## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

Thanks Radar - Maybe I am in luck, the drones were buzzing like crazy in force again today.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Sure the drones can smell virgin queens. Have you ever seen the trick of creating a drone comet by hanging a queen scent from a helium balloon? Maybe Orley Taylor has a video online. 

But what about the drone's huge eyes? "All the better to see you my dear"


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## toekneepea (Jul 7, 2010)

Drones’ antennae have 30,000 olfactory plate organs, about 10x the number found in workers.

These antenna and eye characteristics (up to 8600 facets as opposed to 6900 for workers) are presumably important in
visual and olfactory orientation for finding and mating with virgin queens.

From _*The Biology of the Honey Bee*_ by Mark L. Winston


Tony P.


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

Nothing like a good video, Fishing for drones.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...&mid=F89D54070EF53C8B1570F89D54070EF53C8B1570
Enjoy,


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

Strong mating nucs seem to attract drones. I take it as a sign there are plenty of drones in the area.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

I see the same thing. Mating nucs with no drone brood but full of drones. Must be the drones follow the virgins back to the mating yard and go into the nucs.


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## bevy's honeybees (Apr 21, 2011)

marshmasterpat said:


> Well this morning it was in the mid 50s and the bees were very inactive for most the morning. As temps moved into the 70s the drones were out in force and all swarming in the air around the small slot. Some were entering the hive thru the bottom entrance and I didn't see any being driven off by workers, but man, they were is swarm in the air around that vent (one on the down wind side of the hive). None bunched around any opening, just there.
> 
> I am new at this but sure seemed like something in that section of the hive had them attracted. Does anyone know if the virgin queens emit a lure to make drones chase them.


Same exact thing happen at my new queen castle on Monday and I had the same question. So glad you asked!


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## toekneepea (Jul 7, 2010)

Michael Palmer said:


> I see the same thing. Mating nucs with no drone brood but full of drones. Must be the drones follow the virgins back to the mating yard and go into the nucs.


I've been wondering if the drones also start visiting a hive before or just after the queen emerges from her cell.

Tony P.


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## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

Toekneepea - I will watch for that this next spring/summer cause I plan to bee raising some queens.


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

A great Bee Club project is going out in the Spring and identifying DCA's - Drone Congregating Areas. It takes some driving around, but it helps identify where is good for random open mating and where is good for a controlled mating area with no drones around for 10 miles, if you are going to attempt drone flooding.


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## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

Kilo - how do you locate these areas, with binoculars, putting queen lure out, seems like that would be tough so I am looking for clues. 

Seems like my feral mutts are small cell and dark. Would not mind finding some of those drone areas and seeing if I could place some mating nucs in the back of someone's yard near a drone congregation area. Seems like it would be the easy way to reduce the chance of a virgin either getting eaten or lost. Would also increase the chances of mating quickly and successfully.


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## JStinson (Mar 30, 2013)

BEES4U said:


> Nothing like a good video, Fishing for drones.
> 
> http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...&mid=F89D54070EF53C8B1570F89D54070EF53C8B1570
> Enjoy,


I don't know if I've ever seen anything more amazing. Wow.


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

A virgin queen in a cage and plenty of helium balloons. A fishing rod helps a lot in releasing and retrieving the balloons. Binoculars are a great idea - I hadn't thought of that. You can usually spot the black comet of drones. The DCA's are often 30 to 100 feet above ground, but sometimes higher.

A map with a grid marked over it is important. A few teams in cars can cover a county in a month if they hustle. Note the "dry areas" (with no drones around for miles) as well, these are the places to set up a "semi - controlled" open mating yard.


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

Anyone have a source for the net they are using? I found the other stuff fairly easily.


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

It is commonly used seine to sample river fish populations, Elver fishing, minnow colllecting, etc. The name of that configuration escapes me, however. Catfish farm suppliers used to have them 40 years ago.


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## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

Looked like a mini hoop net within very light weight hoops.


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

A search for hoop net comes up with almost all basketball hoops. it did show one catfish hoop net but that is not the same thing unless you cut a lot of stuff out of it. One of the things is it has to be very light. The catfish hoop looks anything but light.

He may have made it himself.


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