FOR ALL THE ANIMALS
connect with us!
  • PHOTOGRAPHY
    • Contact
    • Private Investigator
    • My Beloved Dog
  • PHOTO BLOG
    • LADYBUG PHOTOS
    • My Mother's Obituary
    • GettingInTouchWithNature BLOG
    • Vietnam on Motorcycle
    • Plant Life
    • Swan Specialist
  • BIO
  • LEARN
    • CLAY ORGAN-PIPE NEST
    • SETTING BULLS ON FIRE??!
    • MOOSE FACTS
    • THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SQUIRRELS & CHIPMUNKS
    • WISE ABOUT BEARS
    • ARE COWS SENTIENT
    • YOU BUY, ELEPHANTS DIE
    • GROW YOUNG WITH YOUR DOG - Best Selling Book
    • ALL ABOUT YAKS IN NEPAL
    • ABOUT CHICKENS
    • THE ART OF DECEPTION
  • MY BOOKS
  • BEE INSPIRED
    • TINY LIFE
    • BEE BLOG
  • Beach Wood
  • Getting In Touch With Nature
  • TIPPI DEGRE - GROWING UP AROUND EXOTIC ANIMALS
  • FIGHTING AGAINST FUR
  • ARCHIVES
    • ABOUT
    • WRITE FOR US
    • OUR STAFF
    • BLOGS >
      • BLOG by Porter
      • BLOG BY NORA
      • BLOG BY VARUN
      • BLOG BY BENDIK
      • BLOG BY KAILYN
      • Blog by SARAH H.
      • LIERRA'S BLOG
      • BLOG BY KABIR
      • BLOG by ZACH
      • ANNA'S BLOG
      • Thoughts by Helen Hu
      • BRAYLIN'S BLOG
      • SARA'S BLOG
      • Blog by Sara Jane
      • BLOG BY JASPER
    • BLOG by ANNE
    • LIZZY'S BLOG
    • Blog by Abu
    • BLOG by Z.K.
    • NEWEST STORIES
    • PETITIONS
  • Blog

A Drone Got The Boot From The Workers

7/21/2015

0 Comments

 
"Who among us isn't enchanted to see you sipping
nectar from among the petals of a flower? It's a very
reassuring  sight,  nature  at  its  best, the follies of 
our fellow human beings set in perspective, the
miraculous web of life reaffirmed."
- Stephen Buchmann,
Letters From The Hive
To witness the kind of event in nature that most of us only get to read about in science books, is one of life's more fascinating experiences for me. To capture the sight on camera makes it especially meaningful. 

Today, I watched a drone at the entrance to the bee hive, my second drone spotting since my guardianship began, and what transpired is told through the photos below. 
Picture
The drone is the big, dark bee in the center facing down.
Drones are males bees in a honey bee colony. They're noticeably larger than the female worker bees. Their single purpose in life is to mate with the queen. When the queen is finished with a drone, a union that lasts only seconds in midair, the drone dies after his male genitalia is ripped from his body. 

Drones don't take on any role within the hive while they're waiting around to make it with the queen. They don't help gather pollen. They don't feed the babies. They don't guard the entrance, or clean up or help in making honey. They take up valuable space and resources and usually toward autumn, they will be unceremoniously kicked out of the hive, leaving them hungry, cold and soon to die. 
Picture
Today, I watched this beautiful drone weakly walking back and forth near the entrance and trying to go inside only to be pushed back out. I followed him with my lens back and forth as some of the worker bees kept an eye on him. 
Picture
He crawled under the shallow entrance and I thought he'd made it, but then he appeared again, looking even more fatigued. 
Picture
He began to dive down to get through the entrance.
Picture
He was rolling right under the narrow entrance and was almost in.
Picture
He was pushed back outside.
At different angles in the sun, he shined with gold stripes. In other shots, the gold was absent and he looked more black.  His eyes looked nearly three times the size of his sister's and his wide body was at least a  third larger.
Picture
Picture
The drone is still trying to get inside the hive....
Picture
Picture
He's being blocked from the entrance, which is the dark shadow in the background.
Picture
He's quite fatigued at this point.
Picture
Picture
He fell off the edge of the hive and I picked him up. He was getting very weak by then.
Picture
It wasn't long before he just stopped all movement and took his last breath.
Picture
Two bees were exploring him with their tongues. 
The bee in front tongued him for a minute or so. I 
have no idea why she was doing it. 
Picture
Picture
For a very short while, some of the worker bees 
bumped into him and others climbed over him on their way to the entrance. 
Picture
It wasn't long before some bees took an interest in doing something about his body.
Picture
This bee began to pull and tug at him.
Picture
The movement by the other bees rolled the drone onto his back.
Picture
And then he was pushed to his side again.
Picture
Picture
The bee on the left began taking charge and really muscled 
him around to get him toward the edge of the hive.
Picture
More tugging and pulling ....
Picture
Picture
She has to get him over this small ledge and then
 it's all downhill from there, but it's not easy.
Picture
The worker bee takes flight as she grips hold of
 the drone and begins to lift him just a bit off the box.
Picture
She goes down with him to the weeds below the hive.
Picture
This is where he was put to rest until the ants find him.
Picture
It's the cycle of life, but it was sad to see a life end.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    FOR ALL THE BEES
    Picture
    by Betsy Seeton
    Picture
    This blog will cover what I learn being a guardian of honey bees. I will also share with you about my connection with bees in ways that you won't often find in books or other sources.  
    Picture
    For All The Animals (this website) is my company. Inspiring young people to learn about and love nature is very important to me.

     I'm also a private investigator, writer, photographer and activist. Nature is my religion. 

    One of my goals through the use of a camera lens is to bring the world of  what I call "tiny life" into focus, to expand our own. I want to share my belief that all life matters. 

    My photography passion extends to all animals, birds, marine life and reptiles. I posit that if the human race embraced that single concept -- all life matters -- we'd be closer to peace on this beautiful and glorious, but quite messed up planet.

    Archives

    May 2017
    April 2017
    June 2016
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015

    Categories

    All
    A Drone Got The Boot From The Workers
    A Sense Of Belonging
    A SENSE OF WONDER IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT
    BAYER IS KILLING BEES
    Beautiful Honey Bees Working Their Hive
    Betsy Seeton's Gorgeous Honey Bee Photography
    BOYCOTT BAYER
    BURT'S BEES PETITION
    CONNECT LIKE THIS
    For All The Bees
    Honey Bees Up Close
    HOW DO YOU CONNECT WITH YOUR BEES?
    How To Figure Out If Your Colony Is Queenless
    How To Get A Bee To Come To You
    I LOVE MY BEES
    I'm Now A Beekeeper!
    I Think I Got Stung Today
    It's Killing Bees
    It's No Mystery Why Our Bees Are Dying
    Making A Connection
    My First Beehive Inspection
    My Honeybees Arrived!
    Neonic Poisoning Is Killing Bees Around The World
    Photos Of A Healthy Beehive
    THE DIRTY HISTORY OF BAYER
    What Is Bearding?
    What To Look For When Inspecting Your Beehive

    RSS Feed

If you love bees, check out my other website.
Picture