Comments on: Bee observations and questions http://endtable.net/agraf/blog/2009/06/09/bee-observations-and-questions/ Tue, 06 Apr 2010 01:51:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: emailtoid.net/i/864d1c5b/… http://endtable.net/agraf/blog/2009/06/09/bee-observations-and-questions/comment-page-1/#comment-3521 emailtoid.net/i/864d1c5b/… Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:33:07 +0000 http://endtable.net/agraf/blog/?p=458#comment-3521 During my last inspection, I made very similar observations. (If I actually can find some time, I'll post about it on my blog). LOTS of drones. I think when we each initially got our bees, there were only worker bees, and during the summer, there is always a population of drones around - so we were just not used to seeing them. Since drones don't have stingers, I don't think they are killing each other. Either they die of "normal" causes, or maybe the workers are regulating their numbers..? I think you are right about the colors - all the bees with the darker markings are the new bees. I think our Queens are probably a slightly different breed than the worker bees that they were shipped with. I eventually expect to have all my bees look like these darker kinds. During my last inspection, I made very similar observations. (If I actually can find some time, I’ll post about it on my blog). LOTS of drones. I think when we each initially got our bees, there were only worker bees, and during the summer, there is always a population of drones around – so we were just not used to seeing them.

Since drones don’t have stingers, I don’t think they are killing each other. Either they die of “normal” causes, or maybe the workers are regulating their numbers..?

I think you are right about the colors – all the bees with the darker markings are the new bees. I think our Queens are probably a slightly different breed than the worker bees that they were shipped with. I eventually expect to have all my bees look like these darker kinds.

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