# Drone dispersal



## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

I've read that drones are "welcome" in virtually any colony during mating season. This year I placed a couple green drone brood frames in each of several good hives. They were soon ( ~3 weeks) laid up full and presumably hatched out at the rate of about 10,000 per hive. That was about 6 weeks ago. Today I went through the same hives and found an abundance of drones but more like hundreds, rather than thousands. The drone frames were mostly being converted to honey storage.

My question is - is it likely that many of these drones have "dispersed" - spreading out and around the local region? I've searched for info on drone dispersal but had little (no) luck finding much beyond "the basics". I marked a fair number of drones last year and within a week was no longer seeing any of them. Realizing a certain level of depredation, it still seems apparent that many drones may end up just "dispersing". Or am I out to lunch on this one?

I'd welcome links to scientific study - I know I've read a bit, somewhere along the line.


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

OK, well... I think I'll try marking a bunch again. 

Last year the marked ones disappeared within 2-3 days which is why I started wondering where they might have gone. I'm hoping they spread to nearby feral & other hives, increasing the likelihood of getting my queens mated with some of the "good" guys.

'Sure wish I could remember where I came across that study...


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

Drones don't live long. It takes them 10 days to mature to mating age, and are dead in another 10-20 days or so. But yes, they do disperse and travel around and are accepted into any hives that are strong and well stored enough. They go out to DCA's and will hop around to other hives in the area, especially those that have virgin queens or queen cells in them.


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

Some/much of the old literature said that drones lived pretty much all summer. It seems they were referring to drones in general, & not specifically.

Similar to what you say, Ray - & Re-reading Morse, _Rearing Queen Honey Bees_ : "Drones that fail to find a queen to mate with may live for several weeks...depends on how much flying they do."

Thanks, Ray


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

I learned about the life cycle of drones in one of Larry Conner's Essentials books, I forget which one in particular.

Swarming season is ending, drones are being kicked out here where I'm at, but then I have also been reducing the size of most of my hives by making splits. Summer solstice is next week, a time for brood rearing to slow and starting of summer dearth here. Drones will be kicked out and they'll start rearing them again come fall equinox around mid to end September. This is all here in my area of course. This may also explain your own reduction in drone levels and conversion of drone frames to honey storage. Bees are starting to wind down brooding and prepare for winter already. Instead of swarming to naturally increase hive numbers, their focus will be on storage and consolidation now.


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## AR Beekeeper (Sep 25, 2008)

When varroa arrived in the U. S. the life span and survival rates for drones have dropped. In infested colonies only 60% of the drones that emerge last longer than 1 or2 days.


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

Good point, AR, but I haven't found a single mite yet this year. The hives are very strong, and no sign of viruses. I've been uncapping drone brood and checking fairly regularly. Now that I have (just finished) IPM bottoms on all the hives I can begin checking for drops regularly. Maybe I'll OAV a couple & see if that yields any.


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

I've noticed that my foundationless frames that are full of drones both sides suddenly look pretty spotty shortly before they're set to emerge. I think the bees clean them up pretty well. Might even have a benefit to have them all on one frame... bees cleaning them out are right there next to a bunch of them... maybe they just keep on going?

Have you noticed decreased burr comb between boxes, Colobee? That's my #1 favorite thing about using drone frames (mine are foundationless not the green plastic ones).


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

I'll have to search for the Australian paper regarding drone production. The emphasis was on pollen and/or pollen substitute patties. Drones are a luxury for bee colonies, and the protein has to bee there. It also states the life cycle of the drones. I'll provide the link as soon as I find it.

Aha! here it is:

http:www.dpi.nsw.au/_data/assets/psf_file/0007/117439/drone-bee-rearing-and-maintenance.pdf


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

JW - yes, less burr comb full of drone brood. That's where I've become accustomed to searching for mites. 'Pull a frame from the brood chamber and there is usually torn apart burr/drone brood - makes it kind of easy to check.

Thanks, KC. I'll read it as soon as I get the leaky shower put back together...... err - quick check gave me "server not found"...


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

Colobee said:


> JW - yes, less burr comb full of drone brood. That's where I've become accustomed to searching for mites. 'Pull a frame from the brood chamber and there is usually torn apart burr/drone brood - makes it kind of easy to check.
> 
> Thanks, KC. I'll read it as soon as I get the leaky shower put back together...... err - quick check gave me "server not found"...


Here Colobee:
http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/117439/drone-bee-rearing-and-maintenance.pdf


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

Cool, thanks!


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

Thanks, again - interesting & informative. I'm chasing down the references for more info on dispersal.


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

Sorry, I left out a small part on the previous attempt at the link.

www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/_data/assets/pdf_file/0007/117439/drone-bee-rearing-and-maintenance.pdf

I just tried it and it still does not work. Use the search window for "Drone Rearing" thread by Pyrobee, 12-12-14 at 7:39 in the morning. The post was #2 by Mbeck. That one still works.

The 4 points in the article were 

1) Provide the drone colonies with quality pollen at all times.
2) Use strong colonies headed by a queen that is greater than one year old.
3) Place a comb of both drone and worker cells in the middle of the broodnest in Autumn, supplemented with 1 or 2 more drone combs in Spring.
4) Drone mother colonies must be maintained as thoroughly as queen rearing colonies.


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## Sunday Farmer (Nov 13, 2013)

Can't prove it, but yea I think you're spot on with the dispersal.


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

kilocharlie said:


> I just tried it and it still does not work. Use the search window for "Drone Rearing" thread by Pyrobee, 12-12-14 at 7:39 in the morning. The post was #2 by Mbeck. That one still works.


It's missing a second underscore in front of "data" in the URL.


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

Sunday Farmer said:


> Can't prove it, but yea I think you're spot on with the dispersal.


It makes the most sense. The conditions are ripe for drone rearing. Lot's of nectar & pollen coming in. There are probably hundreds of drones still in the hives. There is no evidence of "drone-icide", especially on the kind of scale to account for the full frames of capped drone brood a month or so ago.

I don't know for sure - that's why I asked...


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## JWChesnut (Jul 31, 2013)

You can detect a colony in swarm mode by watching "visitor" drones enter the hive in large numbers. The drones appear to detect the prescence of queen cells, and visit the colony to check on the virgin's status.

I've tested the "visitor" drone theory by marking drones and watching the marked drone enter the swarm-ready colony. The drones have a typical guard bee greeting routine, which differs form the resident drones immediate entry.


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

Interesting...and good to know - thank you!


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## Sunday Farmer (Nov 13, 2013)

JWChesnut said:


> You can detect a colony in swarm mode by watching "visitor" drones enter the hive in large numbers. The drones appear to detect the prescence of queen cells, and visit the colony to check on the virgin's status.
> 
> I've tested the "visitor" drone theory by marking drones and watching the marked drone enter the swarm-ready colony. The drones have a typical guard bee greeting routine, which differs form the resident drones immediate entry.


I can't prove this, but I've been fixated on this all year. I think the workers scout hives and then waggle dance to send drones to the queenless hives. It's my hunch.


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