Hello. I happened to notice a lot of drones being thrown out of the hive a few weeks ago. Poor fellows seemed bewildered. They kept trying to get back in but the girls were roughing them up and herding them away. Probably a response to late summer dearth I assumed...Queen must have ordered the drones be ejected Fast forward several weeks and I now have fair amount of capped drone brood mixed in with worker brood and I am seeing what appear to be young drones being allowed into the hive. I don’t see any swarm cells but I didn’t see the queen either on last inspection. I added a slatted bottom board because I have had such heavy bearding at night...N Florida heat and a crowded colony. I also added a honey super. Does anyone have any thoughts on the drone situation? I have read they are often thrown out during dearth’s as well as routinely for mite management. I dunno. This is my first colony which I started from an Italian nuc last spring. Imagine many of you have probably forgotten more than I have learned about bees....
when food supplies are low, drones are evicted. when a flow starts, drones are laid, and fed. Sorry it has been over a week for me to get here
The queen has little to do with or say about the inner workings of the colony. She just lays the eggs. If drones were ejected it was the workers’ “decision”, not the queen’s.
