Honey Bee Behavior, Drone Evictions In Spring Varroa Resistant Hygienic Behavior
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- Опубликовано: 17 сен 2024
- Honey Bees evicting male bees (drones) one early June morning. This video shows female worker bees disposing of the bodies and cleaning up. Honey bee-havior is always interesting, I hope you enjoy it. Had I visited the apiary just one hour later, there would be no evidence of this behavior for me to observe. Temperatures fell to 34 degrees f., overnight. We've had several weather related setbacks this spring and honey hasn't come in as it historically has. These are hygienic honey bees that often clean out brood and cells when they detect a problem, even unhatched bees are often removed and discarded. They have their own standards of acceptance. May be the result of varroa born pathogens.
He’s broke, he lives in our house, and he’s been stealing from us.
I'm glad you were able to capture this event and were willing to share with all of us. I always find bee behavior fascinating. Thanks!
You are very welcome John... it is a pure pleasure to share the things I witness.
I love that the drones are such freeloaders that they just sit and wait to be dragged away when their evicted, even though they could just do it themselves. Such a mood.
"Leave? In the cold? I'll die. Fine, but you won't like it."
I just had this same thing happen to one of my hives first of April. No evidence of mites but the hive had just experienced a big explosion in population with the warm spring starting here in Texas. Then we had a drop in temperature and two weeks of rain. I believe they culled out the non essential part of the hive (drones and drone pupae) to survive since they couldn't forage with all the rains. I started feeding more until they can have an opportunity to forage. This was the first time I've had this happen like this but it's taught me a lesson on hive management in the rainy season here in North Texas. This was one of the few videos I found about this. Thanks for posting.
Interesting observation! I've been experiencing something similar: dead drones at the entrance in mid-season mornings. Some of them look like adults, some white pupae, some almost completely developed. The question I'd like to find an answer to: Where does this late spring-early summer drone "eviction" put the hive on the swarming schedule? Does this mean that, when you see the bees getting rid of drones, the swarm season is over for this hive?
Thanks for posting this observation. My hive is busily tossing out healthy drones this fine Spring Equinox day, too. It’s been cycling between wet and cool and quite warm this spring, so I figured the boys were just surplus to requirements, but it’s nice to see someone else has experienced this in the past, as well
Some of those little guys were ripped out of their cells before they could finish developing! Poor guys! :(
Welcome to the Honey Bee Democracy... any imperfection and they are gone.
@@FrederickDunn I love bees.🐝
just like mee
Beautyful quality of video diserve much more views !!! Great work!
Thank you!
I really like these honey bees, they are very clean and tidy
I like bees too💛🐝
Bees are nothing short of amazing. They do so much and they all work together. Humanity ought to be more like these little bees and the world will be a better place to live.
And that's why we have the book "Honey Bee Democracy" :)
Frederick Dunn. Thank you for mentioning the book to me I will have to buy one and read up on bees. I know there is a lot about them and what they do and how they do it. We can take lessons from the little bees and use as a direct parallel to our own lives and for the sake of humanity. I'm going to look and see if you have this book then I can buy from you. If not I want to purchase one from somewhere so I can learn more about them. Two of my brothers have bees on their farms and I'm sure they would enjoy reading more about them. Friend thank you and I trust you have a wonderful and memorable evening...
fred it actually seems like more of a monarchy with mob rules at times. Thanks for the brilliant video and commentary.
You're welcome Glen... it's a Honey Bee Democracy... a great book by the way :)
Fred, thanks so much for setting me straight on this issue. Brilliant suggestion on Honeybee Democracy, I've read that and I am now nearly halfway done Honeybee Ecology. Thomas Seeley provides a terrific view into the inner workings of the colony. Thanks for being so willing to share your knowledge and time.
the last one went down with a fight
It is very interesting to observe this process at work. Ruthless behavior. I feel for the drones. It reminds me of a past relationship! Thank you for the video Mr. Dunn.
Thank you Dean... and sorry about your past relationship, remember that it's only female bees that can hurt you.
The food stores being low might be one reason the workers kicked out the drones
Another great chapter in your vast library of excellent BeeKeeping! Thanks for posting that!
Great video. Thanks. I had never seen the eviction of the drones.
So Amazing! Never a dull moment 🐝
Thank you Jane! :) True, there is always something to learn and observe.
The life of a bee is hard... Rest easy, little guys.
Fascinating stuff, thank you
Thank you Lynda and you're very welcome!
Wow, Interesting clip. Never knew any of this !!
I'm so glad I helped you learn something new :)
They are really hard working n busy all the time. How clean they are, clearing everything, good job. Tks for sharing
🏅🎖
Great video. Tnx. I woke up to this problem this
Morning. After watching your video I feel more confident knowing what’s going on thank you
You're welcome
I would be plucking the drones off the landing board with large tweezers and cleaning up the caps with a small brush so the workers wouldn't have to expend so much energy trying to get rid of them. Seems the colony is already stressed in some manner, otherwise, why kick out the drones in early summer? I would dispose of the remains far away from the hive so as not leave clues to bee enemies that the hive is weak.
Thanks for sharing what you do. This is an extremely strong colony of bees and not in jeopardy of invasion by others. I allow the bees to clear it all up by themselves, you are welcome to intervene as much as you wish.
Thank you. I always find these videos fascinating to watch and learn.
Glad you like them!
Well if the guys are not pulling their weight lol
A sad truth :)
Without their seed. No females !
@@robertdillon9989 more will be born lol
@@robertdillon9989 they really do nothing
@@zykinfie6282 11f th3 f3m4l3 b33z d11d n0th11ng 11d zt11ll h4v3 th3 z4m3 0p11n110n 🧍♀️
I always feel so bad for the drones
Frances Moore don’t. The worker bees do all the work while these drones eat up all the resources.
KingLionel The drones have evolved to live that way. The drones don’t know any more as they were brought up in that specific manner. Without drones, the colony couldn’t have lived on
@@micahdiazoni189 the sad thing is that Male bees are built to die. Their only purpose is to mate and when they do their genitals get annihilated, killing them
The good news is that the drones don't feel bad for themselves. They are just going through their normal purpose and life cycle.
Although wildly inappropriate, I have to say it anyway or I'll burst......wonder what those gals think when they toss them off the landing board and fall with them? " ah, nuts" "hope no one saw that" - I did notice (or think I did) that a few of those gals came back with a vengeance and tossed another one right over - bam ! - it's not funny, but it is - I learn more from bees than from anything else - I say: 'it's all about the bees, always it's about the bees'
That's a very good observation Amy, the worker bees actually have a lot of difficult disengaging what they latch onto with their feed. So, they tend to fly off and land with whatever they are carrying before being able to fully release. It has to do with the design of their feet. :)
Worker bees be applying some jiu-jitsu grappling technique to get rid of the drones lol! Out of curiosity, what are the worker bees lapping up all around the bodies of the evicted? Is it a case of lapping up water/dew wherever they can find it?
Generally yes, they lick surfaces for water and general cleanup. Not sure if there is a residue remaining after licking, as in if it serves as some method of sanitation.
I was actually thinking the same thing: 'why are they always licking stuff?" -wasn't sure if it was appropriate or not......those gals definitely have some serious mojo going on -
Really great footage. Enjoyed, Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Terry! So glad you liked it.
u do a wonderful job with the videos thanks
I have sat and watched this process also my first year of beekeeping I thought there was something wrong with the drones LOL and on the chicken scene I've never seen my chickens ever eat a live bees or eat a dead bee once again my friend thank you for the video
You're welcome Larry... thanks for commenting!
you'll be shocked Chickens eat a lot of things lol
NEVER A DULL MOMENT - AGAIN *W0W!* Thanks So Much for filming this!!! Now i know How they got on porch.
lol Well . . Bees left Drone pile for me to sweep up. I Should 'check' Much earlier ~ Not a good Day for Drones. *MUCH RESPECT FOR BEES!*
I took camera to work, had something seen in Microscope to photo everyday! Work did NOT Like it. Camera ended up missing. = (
So drones are like ex-husbands. Kicked out like trash.
That is funny but unfortunately true!
Once the seed is extracted goodbye
Because the drones are mainly useless
Some of them don't even mate so a lucky drone is a drone that mated with a future queen
Fascinating! Would a bird ever swoop down there and eat a dead bee?
I have never observed that happening. But skunks definitely come through and clean them up at night.
Exactly the answers I was looking for! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
@@FrederickDunn Love these wee ones - very docile - will watch for aggressive genes - Rio Grande Valley... 70 yrs old - no experience. Learning! Very helpful - thanks!
Hit the road, Jacc and dontcha come bacc no mo!
We are still lucky enough not to have mite here in Australia as yet, but that to me was an indication of a possible mite problem bee's will pull out the drone lava if they detect a problem could also be a shortage of honey so they eliminate the ones that are expendable.
Almost feel sorry for those drone bees...almost. Lol
almost
Not the only species that like to keep the front step tidy!
what happened to that dying female? how come some of the females died?
The resident workers detected that something was wrong with them which may be a virus, varroa, or some other issue known only to them. Hygienic bees remove workers, brood, and drones when they detect a threat.
The drones eyes are very much alike the dragonflies. Large and fused on the top of the head.
Great footage.
Thanks Tommy!
Good shot!
I just subscribed! Such amazing image quality. I am very curious to see the results on the Flow frames. This has been really mesmerizing to watch even though its nature showing its harsh and unforgiving face. Never knew feminist bees were such homicidal man haters.
Thank you! I'll do my best to keep them coming...
Honey bees are amazing..
Very interesting to see that so early in the year. I'm curious what equipment you used to take such high quality close up footage if you are willing to share your experience?
Bunbury Bees IoW Beekeepers I think he's using a Pentax K 01
Sony AX-100b
The last one: Bee! I am your faaather!!!
Nice video, so they're evicting the drones early because their honey stores are low perhaps?
I think it was more due to the unseasonably cold snaps we had. Anything is possible with honey bees, but they do have plenty of honey stored.
i wonder why other producers of this kind of content dont showcase this aspect of bee behavior? it is fascinating.
I'm not sure? Maybe they are not early risers :)
people are incredibly simple. once they have an idea of how animal is they’d rather keep themselves to that myopic image.
I recommend reading "the bees" by laline paull , that book is why I love bees so much. It's like watership down but with bees .
Interesting Max, I'll have to check into that title :)
Here's the link for those who may be interested. www.amazon.com/Bees-Novel-Laline-Paull/dp/0062331159/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481848449&sr=8-1&keywords=%22the+bees%22+by+laline+paul
I just bought it used (hardback) for a penny :)
Frederick Dunn it never sold well in the uk due to both a large amount of people fearing bees and also the rise of hunger games at the time. It's set from a sanitation worker bees perspective
Max Hooper Should be an interesting read over the holidays :) Thanks again Max!
are u located in alaska, well done for your video, could u do a documentary on bees?
0:32 there’s a dead worker as well
Saturday educational 🐝 Marathon
I commend you for not falling to sleep :)
The 🐝 sound is a Soothing sound, I enjoy watching.
Mama🐻
Where do they take the dead drones?
They just get dropped on the ground. Wasps feed them to their young. Ants also eat them.
Interesting, nice pictures! I wonder if they sting the drones prior to evicting them...
Sometimes. If he insists too much on coming back, they chew the drone's wings off and toss him from the edge to prevent his return, and if he tries to fight about getting evicted then he gets stung to death.
Do your chickens eat the drones when they get disposed of?
Though I haven't watched them doing that, something is definitely feeding on the remains. It may even bee local song birds such as bluebirds or tree swallows. My chickens walk right up to the bee hives and I haven't seen them trying to taste a bee yet.
I get so itchy watching this lol
always awesome content!
Thank you Brian! :)
of course, I always learn something new about beekeeping each video. keep up the good work!
4:30 That poor worker that tried to take off with the drone's body, failed and ended up just tumbling end over end with him out of frame.
A very common scene...
I bet your chickens had an unexpected feist.
My chickens don't actually care too much for dead bees... BUT skunks pass through at night and do eat them!
Interesting
Thanks
A timelapse of them clearing away would have been very cool
Hey! I'm having drone evictions during summer....what should I do?
Nothing... it's normal activity during any dearth, no matter what season it is.
@@FrederickDunn oh thank you so much! You just earned a new subscriber :)
I love you videos.....................Where do you live 34 degrees in June ?
Thanks Smokey... I live in the snowbelt... of the North Eastern U.S. we are 1,300 feet above sea level and have very strange weather extremes. Just 10 miles north of us, the temps remained in the 40's during the night. We have 40's again last night, so not fun for the bees. I think it has to do with the altitude and our proximity to the Great Lakes... nearer the water, they are at 500 ft above sea level... where I live, we'll get a foot of snow, drive 10 miles and see green grass. Lucky me.
Queen bee she mate just one time ? Is it true just with one drone which part nurs bees clean after she came back from mating flight because she is not able to remove it alone ?
The queen removes that mating sign by scraping it off on the comb.
Did the drones get killed by the workers or did they die of exposure?
Some die of exposure, on rare occasions I've observed workers chewing drones, but then leaving them to expire.
fascinating!!!
Indeed :)
I just pulled two drones of the front of my bee hive and brought them inside. They warmed up ate some honey and are crawling around inside a jar with wholes in the lid.
So what do you plan to do with those orphans?
Luckiest bees in the history of bees
Nice vedio
So how exactly are they killing the mature drones ?
They refuse to feed them. Drones don't feed themselves and depend on workers to transfer nutrition diretcly.
When food resources are scare, will the bees stop giving birth to new Queen bees and also less worker bees?
Yes, during periods of dearth or extreme hot or cold temps, egg production slows and drones are the first to go.
They really don't do anything? They don't defend the hive or something since they're so big? I assumed they chased out beetles and other invaders.
They eat, sleep, and fly out looking for virgins.
They’re literally born to die. They are even incapable of feeding themselves
If you have a hard winter and a colony in trouble, do you ever give them supplemental heat?
I never heat any of my hives, and wouldn't. Keeping the equipment in good shape, removing drafts, and providing an insulated inner cover has proven to be the sweet spot here.
wow bees do not screw around
I am wondering how come the Drone in 12:25 didn't just fly off when it looks capable. Is it still under development stage and couldn't move around freely without help.
Drones need to be fed routinely at periods of around 30 minutes... if no workers feed them, they begin to decline rapidly.
Why do drones need help hatching?
yes, the workers hatch them out.
will they prioritize worker brood over drone brood in cold snaps like this?
Absolutely.
is that a Varroa Destructor mite at 3:00? Mid frame towards right side.
Looks like one, but it's just a bit of propolis.
So these drones were all pulled out from the brood stock? They were found inferior in some way? What happened to the dying female? Was she pulled out by mistake? Or was she defected or diseased? This is all so fascinating. Love nature!
They could have varroa in their cells, or the bees identified some other defect that we are not aware of. Hygienic bees can, at times, take out lots of larvae.
Drones fly off and mate. Do they come back home ? Do virgin queens after mating come back to same hive ? Life of a drone , life of a queen.
Drones that mate die on the spot.... the queens do return to the original colony.
great video! I have just had the same happen in my hive yesterday, I was wondering if your hive returned to normal afterwards and how the did for the rest of the year?
Yes, this is perfectly normal and they did produce more drones when the weather warmed again. Sorry for the delayed response to your comment.
1:43 nothing personal kid...
why drones dont fly out ? they have wings
If they are starved, or pulled from their cells early, they are not capable of flight. many are removed before they finish developing.
Why do the workers lick them before throwing them off?
Hi Caryn, they seem to lick everything in general, but I think on this cold morning, there may have been some moisture to be gained.
Is it possible they are fighting varroa? Cleaning out cells with cells?
That is definitely possible! This year, I treated with Oxalic Acid Vaporization and had zero clean outs like this one. Remarkable results. Not necessarily just varroa impact, but the diseases that come with them could also be partly responsible for this type of clean out. Thanks for commenting!
The very last one survived!
What happened to that one female worker who was slowly dying surrounded by dead drones??
she died
Probably taken away by wasps in the end.
Question? What do the drones actually die from? And why are they so docile? Thanks for the educational video - I never realised all this!
They starve when the bees pull them out, if in development, they die of exposure when removed from their capped cells.
@@FrederickDunn wow, literally they just starve to death? Last question haha, but does that take long? They seem to be almost dying within 24 hours of being evicted?
I thought drones were evicted in fall.
They are evicted any time resources are reduced.
Why are some of the females dying just from moving them????
Hi Emily, any females which are dead or dying has nothing to do with the drones, there is a constant cycle among workers where some die each day. If they can, they generally fly off and die elsewhere, but sometimes weather conditions keep them in the hive and you'll see them on the bottom board or as in this case, the landing board.
Which strain of bees are these - Italian, Russian, etc.?
Bee Weaver
was that female worker at 5:25 dying because she was undeveloped
No, it's likely she was being discarded because she is worn out and generally incapable of full function anymore.
Frederick Dunn so she is old
alpha gamer Not necessarily, these bees get rid of workers that show any deficiency, she may even just have a mite on her. They didn't kill her, they just moved her out of the hive. She doesn't appear old, but is fully developed.
Frederick Dunn ok
How do they kill them? Sting them? Do they die too after stinging?
They starve them.
Did the cold confuse them?
Highly possible, it was a trend among many other beekeepers in my area at the same time.
I heard a rooster, a killdeer, and a red winged black bird lol
You have an educated ear Queen Marie!
Is it the queen that orders this to happen? Or is this a compulsion?
No, it's the workers that make the decision to evict drones.
@@FrederickDunn Oh interesting.
Why do they die?
I mean the drone's bee.. why do they die? I can't understand
Workers stop feeding them, and they push them out onto the landing board, or fly them away. The colony no longer needs them when resources are dwindeling. At times, workers will even sting the drones if they continue to enter the hive when no longer needed.
Drones cant hatch themselves?
Drones can't even feed themselves, let alone serve as nurse bees that hatch and protect others. They truly are limited to three functions which include, eating, flying to a drone congregation area for several hours each day, and if they are extremely fortunate, successfully mating with a virgin queen which would complete their true purpose. A drone takes genetics from their colony and carries them into the broader honeybee arena.
They must put a major load on the ladies. Grateful our men are intelligent, and useful instead of disposable.
can drones fly
yes
It's weird that drones can not resist female workers
Do the drones know their whole lives this is their fate or is this eviction/execution process a total surprise to them?
They have no sense of their longevity, just following their instincts to the very end.
savege bees
most of them are undeveloped
Some of them are, that's true... these hygienic bees often remove drones and other workers from brood cells. Whenever they detect a problem, often unknown to us as keepers, they go about cleaning cells and removing developing bees so the queen can lay again. They also remove brood cappings to access developing pupae.
what if it's young larvae
alpha gamer The age or stage of development makes no difference to the bees.
Frederick Dunn oh
Thought workers evict drones in the winter/fall
In general that's true, but the bees keep their own schedule and particularly hygienic bees may dispense with drones at any time for reasons known only to them. I could not find any evidence of varroa and that was another thought regarding this removal, but it remains a puzzle.
The drones were born stupid lmao. It called go get your own pollen and dig a hole to survive the night in.
When they’re born their only purpose is to die
.