It is time for the Drones!

Before you raise any Queens you need to raise Drones.

Drones have got some bad press! They are considered a drain on the beehive resources and the lazy bees of the colony.

This is not the case! Rearing and maintenance of healthy drones are essential for successful queen bee mating and the future of beehives. Queen breeders manage their hives to increased drone numbers in their apiary, having colonies that specifically raise drones, called drone mother colonies.

A queen bee mates with an average of 12 drones (range 1–32). Drones need to be 14 days old before they are sexually mature for mating with a queen. So having drones in your colony is only a good thing.