Autumn looms large for the male honey bee- the drone. Later this month drones will be evicted from colonies as the majority of this year's queens are usually mated by now. We have found that drones appear to be congregating towards the front of hives in advance of this event. It looks as though they may be being corralled by the workers as food is scarce at the moment and drones are a drain on hive resources. In any case, it focuses the beekeeper into feeding and treating for Varroa. Watch out for wasps soon too especially if you have to feed for more than a week or so. Feeding causes a frenzy in the apiary and can initiate robbing by other honey bees and wasps. |
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