# mating flight



## spieker (Jun 26, 2009)

From my personal and limited experience, I find about 30% of my virgin queens do not return from their mating flights. However, someone in my bee association said he loses only about 1% of his. I live in a wooded area next to a national forest. I do not know if that has any influence on returning or not.


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## AstroBee (Jan 3, 2003)

For my operation it depends upon the time of year. In early spring (peak build up) I usually have very high success rates (>90%). However, later in the summer it can drop dramatically. We have large populations of dragonflies that take their share. The lowest summer success rate I've seen was 20%.


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## danmcm (May 23, 2012)

Ah, dragonflies. I was thinking birds but I have a fish pond next to house and the fish I keep are to small to take out the dragonfly larva guess I need to stock something bigger than I currently. I still have drones and the nucs are trying to raise emergency queens so guess i will let them take a shot as long as the nuc population holds I am not out anything more than what I am already out...


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

I have two different species of birds that like eating bees outta the air, and dragonflies. A month ago I put up a couple owl scare crows and all the birds and dragonflies have disappeared. You may try it and see if it helps, I got mine at Walmart.


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## mulesii (Jun 10, 2012)

I have noticed since I put out my two hive this spring, a lot more dragonflies in my back yard. There are no ponds near me, only a small, flowing stream about 300 yards away.


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

danmcm said:


> I started my first queen project ended up with fewer than I had hope for but it was a first attempt and fall at that I got the two queens I needed and had place them in nucs. Well its been just over a week and in checking I don't see eggs not surprised but don't see either queen.... What's the average mortality of queens on mating flights?


7 days is to early for your virgin queen to be laying eggs.
With very good conditions she should be mated and laying in 12 to 14 days. Give them some time.
Good luck.


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## danmcm (May 23, 2012)

Bees4u, 
Good call I was rushing it a bit... One nuc has a queen one lost queen in mating flight. Our weather is now turning cold so I combined the nucs into a double stacked nuc and am feeding. Started 10 cells they pulled 7 down then (because i didn't get the importance of a cell finisher) they tore down 5 cells leaveing me with two queens... lost one in mating flight. well for a first try at queen rearing that was pretty sorry but I learned alot and will do better in spring. thanks for all the help.

Thought this was funny as well I have Italian and Russian hives heres a picture of my new queen...


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## danmcm (May 23, 2012)

okay maybe it's just me this new queen isn't light like my Italians I originally thought she looked cordovan sorta more brownish to her head and thorax than her momma who was open mated... but after looking at more images think my italians are just lighter than others.


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## Deepsouth (Feb 21, 2012)

It seems that my queens are getting darker and darker every year. I had some this year all black. But i like the darker bees. Im getting only about 50 to 60 % of my queens returning from their matting flight. Having big problems with dragon flies around my yard. I will be looking for a different location next year for my matting yard.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>What's the average mortality of queens on mating flights? 

It depends on so many things. Predators (as has been mentioned) the time of year etc. Sometimes it's very high and sometimes very low. When I had hives near a lot of dragon flies it did seem to be much lower success rate.


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

Around here we have many different airborne predators; various insectivorous bird species, robber flies, and curiously several species of dragonflies. Fortunately, except for the birds, the predators are sparse and though some queens don't return from their mating flights, most usually do.


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