Joel Govotes asked if you can get drones in a queen right hive above the
queen excluder.  The answer is yes.
 
Dr. Ben Oldroyd from the University of Sydney carried out some genetic work
on some drones I supplied a couple of years ago.  Ben requested samples if
beekeepers saw drone brood above the queen excluder.  This was brood that had
not been brought up by the beekeper from the brood box.
 
I haven't found his published work yet but as I recall it turned out that
worker bees were turning into laying workers and putting this drone brood
above the queen excluder.  As part of his experiment, he found out by DNA
testing that the queen, from which the laying workers came, had mated with
about 10 (cannot recall the exact number) drones.
 
I haven't seen this drone brood above the queen excluder since but I have a
mate who has seen this also.
 
I will keep looking for the reference and will post it on Bee-L when I find it.
 
 
Trevor Weatherhead
M.S. 825
Middle Road
Peak Crossing  4306
Queensland
AUSTRALIA
 
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