Finding drone congregation areas

[saskia]

I would like to know approximately where the local drone congregation areas are relative to my apiary. From reading round a bit, it seems that strong landscape features dictate local dca, and presumably prevailing winds? Has anyone had any success at finding local spots?

[The Drone Ranger]

What you are going to need is a virgin (queen) tethered or caged below a balloon of hydrogen or helium gas
Also, a note from a doctor of medicine or divinity, explaining that you are are not dangerous and this is a scientific mission
Wander around likely areas with your balloon. At some point a large quantity of drones may appear following the balloon
Stick a pin in the map
Try to stay clear of ice cream vans and sweet shops because that will increase the likelihood of arrest or a beating by vigilantes

[Trog]

Stick a pin in the map


Tut tut, DR, that is SO last century. These days one presses a button on one's GPS or smart-phoney-thingy ;)

[The Drone Ranger]

Tut tut, DR, that is SO last century. These days one presses a button on one's GPS or smart-phoney-thingy ;)

Ah Trog the voice of reason I must get one of those clever phones
I became disillusioned with my slightly updated one because whenever I answered a call it took a photo of my feet

[Trog]

Ha ha! :D

I have neither GPS nor ultra-modern phone.

[The Drone Ranger]

Ha ha! :D

I have neither GPS nor ultra-modern phone.

Does Mull allow phone masts ?
Standards must be slipping next it'll be all day opening
Plenty bookings I hope ?

[Trog]

Oh, yes, there are phone masts. We had them quite early on as the Rally folk needed them for some reason. Sunday opening, too :( Alas, very few bookings just now. Recession an' all that ... more time for playing with the bees :)

[The Drone Ranger]

Oh, yes, there are phone masts. We had them quite early on as the Rally folk needed them for some reason. Sunday opening, too :( Alas, very few bookings just now. Recession an' all that ... more time for playing with the bees :)

Are you still varroa free Trog
What about some bee keeping courses
Queen raising etc
Is that on the agenda for the guests ?

[Trog]

Still Varroa free on Mull, Iona, and plenty places elsewhere in the North!

I try and keep the guests and the bees well apart from each other ... though the former really love our honey!

[The Drone Ranger]

Still Varroa free on Mull, Iona, and plenty places elsewhere in the North!

I try and keep the guests and the bees well apart from each other ... though the former really love our honey!
I envy you that situation

Saskia's question is a difficult one as the basics of a south facing slope with a landmark or trees in the vicinity of an established apiary will all be indicators of likely hotspots
Apart from the balloon which is how researchers have tried to find them in the past

One helpful bit of info is that the DCA has a well defined area surrounded by a demarcation zone where no mating takes place
any drones flying around not in the DCA won't pursue the lure (in theory)

[Jon]

I have seen queens mating over my apiary at the allotment and also at the association apiary. I don't know if they just happen to be drone congregation areas or whether this is apiary vicinity mating.

[Trog]

Same here. I think there may also be a DCA above our high slate (SE facing) roof as it can sometimes be very noisy above it when we're eating out on the terrace, but have seen much lower matings 6-10 ft off the ground and just to the side of the apiary.

[Jon]

Yes 6-10 feet is about right for what I have seen on several occasions.
I remember posting about it a couple of years ago.

[The Drone Ranger]

That's good another beekeeper could have AMM and that strain might not mate locally
You chaps are both lucky
how would you describe your DCA ?
Is it on a south facing slope trees etc ?
Apiary vicinity mating might be influenced by large numbers of queens making mating flights from the apiary ?

[Jon]

Both of them have a line of trees 40-50 feet high which likely makes a distinctive landmark.
The allotment also has the railway line running alongside it which would be very distinctive from the air.

[chris]

The allotment also has the railway line running alongside it .

Talk of railway lines,and drone congregation areas in Belfast. Why does "Madame George" start running through my head?

[gavin]

The only DCA I've been aware of was one pointed out to me by a particularly observant countryman/beekeeper. It was in parkland, trees and open grassy areas, a couple of hundred metres to the S of a big old house with a few feral colonies in the roof space. The land was on a slight southwards slope down to a tree-lines stream, and the drones could be heard level flying level with the treetops (big, mature broadleaves) near the stream. Just a hum on warm days.

[Jon]

Same line Chris.
My allotment is at the side of the track and Sandy Row is a few more stops towards the city centre. The main train/bus station is at the end of Sandy Row.
I know that area very well as it is the University area of S. Belfast.
Van Morrison is from over on the East side of town where you find places like Cyprus Ave.
Brothermoo would know his way about there better than me.


On that train from Dublin up to Sandy Row
Throwing pennies at the bridges down below
And the rain, hail, sleet, and snow
Say goodbye to madame george
Dry your eye for madame george
Wonder why for madame george


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrOgYjp20j0

Nice piece of work to produce at the age of 23.

[drumgerry]

The only DCA I've been aware of was one pointed out to me by a particularly observant countryman/beekeeper. It was in parkland, trees and open grassy areas, a couple of hundred metres to the S of a big old house with a few feral colonies in the roof space. The land was on a slight southwards slope down to a tree-lines stream, and the drones could be heard level flying level with the treetops (big, mature broadleaves) near the stream. Just a hum on warm days.

Now it's funny you should say that Gavin. Last summer I was walking just south of Knockando Kirk in amongst tall trees on an old road on a south facing slope. There was a loud humming sound at the tops of the trees and not a bee to be seen in the foliage below. The trees are larches and pines and all about 50+ feet tall - not really bee forage and I've never had honeydew honey in this area (which I believe can come from aphids in pine forests). Maybe you've solved the mystery of that for me now and I've found a DCA.

Here's a link to a map of the area. You can see the kirk and the graveyard and the place I'm talking about is the area of trees immediately to the south east.

http://goo.gl/maps/vT4zH

[The Drone Ranger]

The only DCA I've been aware of was one pointed out to me by a particularly observant countryman/beekeeper. It was in parkland, trees and open grassy areas, a couple of hundred metres to the S of a big old house with a few feral colonies in the roof space. The land was on a slight southwards slope down to a tree-lines stream, and the drones could be heard level flying level with the treetops (big, mature broadleaves) near the stream. Just a hum on warm days.

Jon mentioned this Apiary vicinity mating behaviour I wonder how that comes about
I hazard a guess that it's because so many virgin queens show up in that area drones are hanging around waiting (sort of delinquent drones really)
The odd thing is where DCA's are known there also is a demarcation area surrounding them, where although a queen may fly through the airspace, the drones don't attempt mating until she reaches the DCA
That "fact" may of course be wrong, but if it is then the principle of a Drone Congregation area would be reduced to just a mating hotspot, which seems unlikely
Perhaps an indication of how close a drone congregation area is to your bees might be reflected in the numbers of queens who don't get back to the hive ?

[The Drone Ranger]

My last post is rubbish I think
here's a little link to some sensible info
http://www.ibra.org.uk/articles/What-do-we-really-know-about-drone-flight-behaviour
(I was on antibiotics so thats's my excuse)
here's another link where they say DCA's can be artificially created by large quantities of queen substance
http://honeybee.drawwing.org/book/drone-congregation-area
Bad news is the claim that drones turn up a long way from their original home