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„Wiedza to potęga, stwierdził w 1597r. sir Francis Bacon, jednak pomiędzy ilością dostępnych informacji a umiejętnością wydobywania z nich sensu może istnieć zależność odwrotna.”
Tony Schwartz
The Drone Colony vs. the Drone-Rearing Colony - what's the difference?
Explanation about terminology
Drone producing queen – a parent for drones (in polish it is mother-father or paternal mother) – from the reproductive mother we will take genetic material (eggs) for planned crossbreeding.
Queen producing queen – a parent for queens (in polish it is mother-mother or maternal mother) – from the reproductive mother we will take genetic material (larvae) for planned crossbreeding.
Drone rearing colony – a colony nursering drones – we put eggs in the drone colony, colony task will be feeding and caring for the drones in the larval stage and after emergency.
Queen rearing colony – a colony rearing queen’s (finisher) – we put larvaes in the finisher, colony task will be feeding and caring for the queens in the larval stage.
Both parents are two queens
Artificial insemination of queen bees enables controlled selection of parental pairs, a crucial tool in breeding work aimed at genetically improving bees. Breeders select the parents of the next generation for reproduction based on selection results. These parents are two queen bees, where one acts as the mother (queen-mother) and the other as the drone (queen-drone), also known as the father colony. Genetic material is collected from them for further rearing. From the queen-mother, larvae are taken for rearing queen bees, while larvae for drone rearing come from the queen-drone colony. The collected genetic material in the form of larvae is transferred to rearing colonies responsible for caring for and nurturing the queens or drones from larvae to maturity.
A father colony can also serve as a drone-rearing colony. However, in practice, this is avoided to prevent overburdening the valuable reproductive colony.
How to care for a drone-rearing Colony?
A drone-rearing colony must provide suitable thermal and nutritional conditions for the drones, both during their development and after emergence. It should be a strong colony with ample carbohydrate and protein resources and a large number of nurse bees.
For more information on the biological quality of drones and the role of rearing colonies, see the article: “How to Raise High-Quality Drones for Breeding?”
Early stimulation for development
Drone-rearing colonies are selected early in spring and stimulated to reach full strength early. It’s essential to note that the development of drones—from egg laying to sexual maturity—takes about 40 days. To plan insemination activities for early June, drone rearing must begin by mid-April.
Ensuring sufficient nutrition
A drone-rearing colony should maintain a reserve of 7–8 kg of carbohydrates and 2–3 combs of protein feed (pollen). During nectar shortages, supplemental feeding with small doses is necessary. Maintaining 1,000 adult drones costs a bee colony 6.32 kg of honey. Adverse conditions, such as interruptions in flowering or poor weather, can lead to worker bees eliminating drones entirely. Supplemental feeding can delay this behavior by sustaining the colony’s caregiving instinct.
Presence of a queen bee
For a bee colony to rear a significant number of drones, it must be biologically mature and capable of reproduction. This state is typically achieved in the presence of one-year-old or older queens at the peak of their egg-laying capacity.
In Poland’s climatic conditions, bees lose their caregiving instinct toward drones around June 20, coinciding with the linden bloom. This marks the transition from colony development to winter preparation. Depending on geographic location and climate zone, this timing may vary.
To maintain drones in a rearing colony after June 20, the colony must be queenless. Under the stimulus of emergency queen-rearing, bees will continue to care for drones. A queenless colony should be reinforced with combs containing brood and have any emergency queen cells removed.
Managing Varroa destructor
Drone-rearing colonies do not produce honey or other bee products, allowing for treatments against Varroa destructor based on the infestation level. Treatments can include medications effective under capped cells or those with prolonged effects, such as strips. However, it is important to consider that some treatments may negatively impact the viability of sperm in drone semen.
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