# Drone Size Study



## joebeewhisperer (May 13, 2020)

Litsinger said:


> Interesting recent study out of Tarpy's Lab:
> 
> Variation in the reproductive quality of honey bee males affects their age of flight attempt
> 
> ...


This makes me think of times I've crowded up a drone (or worker) brood frame with a wide adjacent frame. The offspring are in a shallower cell, and this could only make them smaller.?.?.

I pulled out such a frame and pondered a few days ago, but alas we are just coming out of a relative dearth, and manipulations are executed quickly. Still interesting that you posted this. Appreciate the summary. 

I remember A.m.m. bees had a pretty good shot at mating "domestic" queens around here for decades. I've heard they have larger spiracle openings and shorter/smaller bodies which were ideal for leaping from a surface and maneuvering once airborne, but more susceptible to anything that wants to crawl in such an opening and parasitize from the inside, namely tracheal mites. While Dad expressed some thoughts on this decades ago, I'd still group this in the "I heard" column. He would not be offended. 

I concentrated some effort this year on making sure there was an abundance of the drones I wanted, but not so much as to study individual traits/roles they have in the equation. 

Winter is coming Russ, we will all be experts on something else by springtime eh?


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## Litsinger (Jun 14, 2018)

joebeewhisperer said:


> Winter is coming Russ, we will all be experts on something else by springtime eh?


I'm still trying to learn how to get out of my own way...


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