" When I see fall drone-heavy colonies, I have
(until now) assumed that there was a maladaptive behavioral
basis for it, because here in the northeast USA we need our
colonies to throw out their drones and hunker down at this
time of year. I thought that queens reared in the
south were not very suitable for overwintering
colonies in the north.'
North east Ohio. Average 150 inches of snow a year. First killing frost mid Oct. Zone 5a in an average winter and as low as 4a about every fifth winter.
I routinely see drones this time of year. I was in a bunch of hives just yesterday and saw lots of drone brood on comb built between boxes. I would worry if I did not see drones this time of year and wonder what was wrong with my hives.
I find the folklore that southern raised queens are no good in the north interesting. I have purchased queens from Georgia and Louisiana and found both sources did just fine in my climate and over winter just as well as the queens I raised myself. Is there any actual data that shows southern queens under perform in the north versus queens with the same genetics raised in the north? I think this is simply a myth which mainly seems to be pushed hard by the treatment free folks as an excuse for letting bees die. I can understand why some strains of bees might not be well adapted to a cold (or warm) winter. I can not understand how the same genetics could differ in cold response depending on where the queens were raised.
Dick
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