In message <[log in to unmask]>, Robert Brenchley <[log in to unmask]> writes > The first is apiary vicinity mating, when the queens mate on short, local >flights, apparently with drones from nearby hives. This will obviously be an >advantage in the bad weather we often get in early summer. And autumn when they tend to supersede. A friend, without knowledge of Cooper's work, always expected to find "popped" drones in his colonies when his nucs and splits were being mated. I found such a drone on the roof of a split hive when she mated. This seems like AVM - why else would it be there? (Of course you'll tell me he could have been from that hive - or another in the apiary - and mated with another queen from somewhere else). > Then there is the short-lived bubble assembly. Drones congregate in a >bubble of warm air near the apiary, taking advantage of what might be a very >brief spell of good weather. In this case, I would imagine they just head for >the nearest warm air, and again, the queens probably mate with drones from >nearby hives. When I had hives at the bottom of the garden, and before I knew of drone assemblies, I did hear what I now believe to have been a drone assembly around my house. At the time, there were no obvious large foraging movements through the garden. This would fit with a warm uprising of air from the house roof. It persisted during warm weather. Though I still have a couple at home and there are about 16 within 600m I have not heard the sound since. -- James Kilty