In a message dated 11/20/00 8:29:05 AM Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

> Possible method for raising drones, open for speculation and rebuttal.
>
>  Set up a colony of young bees in Jaunuary without a queen.  Would some of
>  the worker bees then commence to laying unfertilized eggs which would then
>  develop into drones?  After the cells were capped, the colony could then be
>  combined with a queenright colony and thus you would have a supply of
drones
>  in very early spring.  However, would they be large enough since they would
>  have been raised in worker cells?


    I suspect many if not all would be discarded and the colony would die
without intervention.   I've seen strong colonies keep drones here in our
mild coastal SC winters all thru the winter, and then throw them out in a
March storm. It's discouraging, but it's also amazing how fast they can have
them when the time is right for them.  The main thing is, I think to keep
feed available to them.

   We have a stimulative maple flow in late January or early February, which
will produce a lot of worker brood and sometimes drones in strong colonies.
Then that ends and the nectar situation is pretty barren until around March
20, when there usually is a good flow. Pollen is plentiful unless there is a
really hard freeze.  So colonies that looked good at mid-February at the end
of maple flow may be starving or close to it at mid-March. They won't raise
drones under these conditions.  Some beekeepers concentrate a lot of feeding
in the fall (which is more important in the North) but here in SC, feeding
during the spring dearth is much more important.

    I have raised queens in early March and succeeded one year and failed the
next. It all depends on the timing of the storms. I have pretty much given up
trying to push the season, just keep them well fed and let them choose the
timing. When they are ready to raise queens, you'll get the best possible
queens.

    Another thing is to make sure the good colonies have mostly worker brood
comb in the center of the brood nest, and drone comb on the walls. They will
then raise workers first, and as the brood expands, will quickly produce
drones when the time is right. Colonies with a lot of drone comb in the
center will often just not build up.

Dave Green
The Pollination Home Page:   http://pollinator.com      (Now searchable)