Thanks, Peter - interesting photos. Not a pattern I've ever taken notice of before, and they look like full-size drones that were queen-laid in worker cells with drone cells then drawn around them to accommodate their size.  If they're diploids, or worker laid, then it's curious that so many escaped from being policed out. Others have said they've observed a similar pattern.  But with this photo, I wonder if they're seeing this exact same pattern or just some normal odd small patches of drone cells. I'm also seeing late drone rearing in some of my colonies that I've suspected might be preparations for suicide swarms.  If the pattern in this photo is actually an area wide phenomenon then it gets harder to explain but if this is isolated to this one colony then I'd suspect the queen's fertility. 


Bill Hesbach
Cheshire CT.

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html