I love the drone vs swallow vs cat image...maybe a few dragonflies in 
there trying to pick off drones and queens?

Seriously, tho, this brings to mind the question of genetic diversity in 
the bee yard, essential to well-mated queens especially if multiple 
generations are expected.  Plus you want bees selected for disease and 
pest resistance, etc.  I cheat, I'm pretty isolated and the few 
surrounding beekeepers and ferals are also products of importing only 
resistant bees of various stocks for almost 15 years. I've always 
wondered if I happened to set up near a DCA: I have way better luck with 
matings than I probably deserve, if the weather gives us half a chance.

Carolyn in McCormick County, SC

On 3/22/2011 6:42 PM, allen wrote:

> I guess what the pros assume is that DCAs are a curiosity.  In a good outfit
> with enough drones flying in the vicinity of the hives where the queens are being
> raised, the queens never have to go as far as a DCA.  They find suitors once they
> fly up.
>
> I had thought that I had a DCA over my mating yard since so much mating was
> happening there and the drones were chasing everything, including the swallows
> (which in turn were dive-bombing our cats since I think they blamed them for
> the indignities being perpetrated on them).

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