# Is this just a drone cell?

**URL:** <https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/is-this-just-a-drone-cell/10832>\
**Category:** Beekeeping - Basics\
**Created:** [April 16, 2017, 4:37am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/is-this-just-a-drone-cell/10832 "2017-04-16T04:37:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lialos](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/lialos/32/13819_2.png) [@Lialos](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Lialos)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 4:37am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/is-this-just-a-drone-cell/10832/1 "2017-04-16T04:37:39Z")

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Was in my hive today, and saw this. Looks like it is just a cell that got torn apart when I pulled two frames apart, but that larvae sure looks big to me.

 ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/2X/7/7611643e25cd91a8766824cabbc9bb3e79b15690.JPG)

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**Author:** ![Eva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@Eva](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Eva)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 1:52pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/is-this-just-a-drone-cell/10832/2 "2017-04-16T13:52:34Z")

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Could be…as you say, might have been torn open when you lifted the frame out or the bees decided it wasn’t viable & are removing it.

Meanwhile, at about 10 o’clock on your photo I see what looks like your queen, in the act of laying. But I’m doubting myself because the eyes look very drone-y to me, so maybe the body just seems elongated because of the photo angle or something…

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**Author:** ![Dawn\_SD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/dawn_sd/32/15954_2.png) [@Dawn\_SD](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Dawn_SD)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 4:21pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/is-this-just-a-drone-cell/10832/3 "2017-04-16T16:21:30Z")

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> [@Eva](#):
>
> I see what looks like your queen, in the act of laying

The one with big eyes and a fuzzy thorax? Looks a lot like a drone to me! 😊

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**Author:** ![Lialos](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/lialos/32/13819_2.png) [@Lialos](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Lialos)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 9:16pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/is-this-just-a-drone-cell/10832/4 "2017-04-16T21:16:38Z")

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Yeah, looks like a drone to me. If I wasn’t seeing clear sign she’s in there, then I might panic, but it’s obvious we have a queen from the eggs and brood.

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**Author:** ![Ricky](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/ricky/32/7535_2.png) [@Ricky](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Ricky)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 9:44am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/is-this-just-a-drone-cell/10832/5 "2017-04-17T09:44:51Z")

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Don’t the QBs have a white dot on there backs it’s the only way I can see them lol

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**Author:** ![Eva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@Eva](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Eva)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 11:07am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/is-this-just-a-drone-cell/10832/6 "2017-04-17T11:07:35Z")

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Only if someone puts a dot there - and when queens are marked the color of the dot will be different according to what year she was raised.

But - sorry for any confusion! this isn’t a queen. As Dawn says & I suspected, it has the large eyes of a drone & big fuzzy thorax of a drone 😉