# What I found 8 days after a hive split



## clyderoad (Jun 10, 2012)

looks like those are drones. notice the eyes and body shape.
one looks like it was successful at mating, the other looks like it was pulled by the bees because of 
deformed wings.

leave them alone. review queen timing and mating- you are too early.


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## DavidZ (Apr 9, 2016)

nope

you have drones.

good luck.


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## Lburou (May 13, 2012)

Definitely drones as Clyderoad observed. "Early" is relative to location. I observed mating sign on a queen this week, (meaning: A drone endophallus still connected to a newly mated queen returning from a mating flight). We have had drones all winter here. 

P.S. With Deformed wings on that drone, I'd be very interested in your mite load and in treating for mites.


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## clyderoad (Jun 10, 2012)

Early as in the split was done last week and the queen(s) have not emerged yet.


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## Scitfrostbite (Aug 15, 2015)

Agreed, I don't see a queen. Don't disrupt/stress the hive too much, let them make a queen in peace. Give it 21-24 days before taking any action if you think they're not making a queen. I've gone as many as 24 days before seeing a queen or eggs.


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## Lburou (May 13, 2012)

clyderoad said:


> Early as in the split was done last week and the queen(s) have not emerged yet.


 Got it, Guess I was a space cadet while reading that one.


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## Spur9 (Sep 13, 2016)

Appreciate the information. So focused on wanting to see a queen from the split, and after 5 cups of coffee this morning, I jumped the gun. I'll try to be patient.

This was one of the hives that I bought from my mentor at the end of August. He had not treated for mites.
I treated the hive with apivar in the fall (Sep 1st) for the max number of days. 
I oav'd on 1/15, 2/1, 2/15 during the morning hours. Probably 45-50 degrees.

I haven't done any mite load test coming out of winter other than weekly specs of the sticky boards starting in January. This hive always showed 0-1 mites on the board.


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## Lburou (May 13, 2012)

That sounds like plenty of mite treatments Spur.


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## WD9N (Dec 28, 2014)

Yep, they probably are just now capping the queen cell. Should be something around April 22 before she is laying.


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## Spur9 (Sep 13, 2016)

I've certainly tried to be diligent in keeping my bees healthy. I also have read enough info on this site in regards to people thinking they have beaten the mites down and then......kaboom!


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## psfred (Jul 16, 2011)

Both of those bees are drones, and you have a mated queen in that hive. Should be getting eggs in a few more days.

The drones get ripped up while mating, but will still often follow the queen back to the hive. I've seen a dozen or so dying drones in the grass in front of a hive that followed the queen back, it's a good sign that she's mated AND back in the hive.

Peter


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## Lburou (May 13, 2012)

Spur9 said:


> I've certainly tried to be diligent in keeping my bees healthy. I also have read enough info on this site in regards to people thinking they have beaten the mites down and then......kaboom!


You will have a rare opportunity in the next week or so to treat one time with OAV - before the first of the new queen's brood is capped (and all the old brood is hatched). A single treatment of OAV is most effective (93-97% mite kill) during a broodless period because the vapors do NOT penetrate capped cells containing brood.

Thanks for relaying your experience with drones at the hive entrance Peter, the thought had occurred to me but I have not experienced what you reported.


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