# Queen Identification

**URL:** <https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/queen-identification/6901>\
**Category:** Beekeeping - Basics\
**Created:** [May 11, 2016, 12:56pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/queen-identification/6901 "2016-05-11T12:56:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jstrano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a4c791/32.png) [@Jstrano](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Jstrano)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 12:56pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/queen-identification/6901/1 "2016-05-11T12:56:45Z")

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Found this dead bee on top of a brood frame.

Drone (I hope) or my queen?

The end of the abdomen was damaged/missing, so it’s difficult for this noob to be certain.

Thank you.

![](https://cdck-file-uploads-us1.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/2X/5/53fed8ad65050101381a2e5bfc550e9a282ef262.jpeg)  
 ![](https://cdck-file-uploads-us1.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/2X/0/0c6f18037aee2bc0250dac2834ab7232babdc6fc.jpeg)

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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:** [May 11, 2016, 2:15pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/queen-identification/6901/2 "2016-05-11T14:15:22Z")

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Looks like a drone. Huge eyes. The giveaway with most queens is that the thorax (round segment behind the head) is almost hairless. This one looks pretty hairy, and the eyes are huge, so I think it is a drone. 😉

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**Author:** ![Rodderick](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/rodderick/32/15174_2.png) [@Rodderick](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Rodderick)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 2:39pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/queen-identification/6901/3 "2016-05-11T14:39:56Z")

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Yep, unmistakable drone… Don’t you just love their big brown eyes, they are so cuddly looking

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**Author:** ![Michael\_Bush](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/michael_bush/32/1024_2.png) [@Michael\_Bush](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Michael_Bush)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 2:42pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/queen-identification/6901/4 "2016-05-11T14:42:04Z")

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Definitely a drone. The eyes cover the width of the head.

Compare the eyes:  
 ![](https://cdck-file-uploads-us1.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/2X/3/3f1f4651b7a8228673865784b20cb6192b0e3b9a.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:** [May 11, 2016, 3:01pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/queen-identification/6901/5 "2016-05-11T15:01:46Z")

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And dig that beefy build - man-bee for sure

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**Author:** ![Michael\_Bush](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/michael_bush/32/1024_2.png) [@Michael\_Bush](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Michael_Bush)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 3:40pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/queen-identification/6901/6 "2016-05-11T15:40:52Z")

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> [@Eva](#):
>
> And dig that beefy build - man-bee for sure

Now you see why a drone can’t get through a queen excluder…

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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:** [May 11, 2016, 4:25pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/queen-identification/6901/7 "2016-05-11T16:25:59Z")

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![](https://cdck-file-uploads-us1.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/2X/c/c067ef3013f4ce48d8d557d9cb6cfe412e0138a1.PNG)

sorry…couldn’t resist

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**Author:** ![Michael\_Bush](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/michael_bush/32/1024_2.png) [@Michael\_Bush](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Michael_Bush)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 4:50pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/queen-identification/6901/8 "2016-05-11T16:50:43Z")

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Yes, Jack Nicholson seems to have the same problem…

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**Author:** ![Anon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@Anon](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Anon)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 11:13am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/queen-identification/6901/9 "2016-05-12T11:13:51Z")

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Definitely a drone. You can easily tell by the blood running out of his ears from having to listen to 50,000 females buzzing orders and directions at him. 😁