Hello Everyone,

     I'm back from NY where I attended the queen rearing course  put on by
Cornell's Master Beekeeper Program. The course was great! Today They showed
us a drone congregation area, it was in a clearing approximately 200 feet up
a hill from the twenty or so hives kept behind Betterbee in Greenwich for
the course. We first went up the hill at 1:15 PM with a queen pheromone lure
attached to a helium filled weather balloon with no luck, We went back at
3:00PM and going up the hill there was no sign of drones but as soon as We
reached the clearing I was amazed, the lure was rushed by dozens of drones
and the first to grab onto the lure got so heavy with competitors that they
all would fall halfway from the air. Ten minutes into this display, We saw a
live queen on a mating flight going up the hill being chased by drones then
minutes later come back Our way with the "comet" after her. Before seeing
this display I was just a little skeptical but now there is no doubt in My
mind about the existence of DCA's.
That was the high point of a great course, I highly recommend it to All.
Regards,
Garry Libby
Attleboro, Massachusetts, USA
41.56 N    71.17 W
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