Found some Drones!
I found a hive at work and there were several dead workers on the ground as well as these guys I thought must be bee flies or hoverflies of some sort. I mean, check out the eyes, those aren’t normal honeybee eyes.
But it can’t be a fly since it has 4 wings, and it’s just so bee-like! Then I remembered that drones look different from workers. A google image search later and I’m pretty sure this is a honeybee drone.
If that’s not right, please let me know!
21 comments · 99% upvoted · source · other discussions
I think theres a parasitic mite on its neck. If you found a bunch of dead bees, I think you also found the cause.
small_spider_liker [OP] 18 points · May 2026
Oh gah! I always assumed bee mites were a lot smaller! But it looks like you’re right. This matches Varroa destructor pictures online.
The hive is wild/feral and seems to have just moved in to the roof tiles of a building at my work, so I won’t feel as bad now if they need to be exterminated to keep the mites from spreading.
Tie_A_Chair_To_Me 10 points · May 2026
The hive doesn’t have to be euthanized to combat the mites, but it definitely needs to be removed from the building.
Get a beekeeper that does cutouts and they’ll take the colony back to a proper hive where they’ll treat for mites.
small_spider_liker [OP] 2 points · May 2026
Does “cutout” mean they saw off part of the building so they can remove the hive intact? That might not make the bosses happy.
Tie_A_Chair_To_Me 3 points · May 2026
Guess what… when a pest control company sprays a hive in a wall to kill it, you still have to cut into the building to clean out all the dead bees and hive remnants.
There’s only one way you remove a hive from inside a building, just depends on if you take out those bees dead or alive.
BlooperBoo 3 points · May 2026
Apparently the mites will fall off if you shake up the bees in some powdered sugar but. Ya know. That might not work for a whole hive
Legitimate_South9157 2 points · May 2026
What state? I’d come relocate them
small_spider_liker [OP] 3 points · May 2026
San Francisco Bay Area. We have boat loads of bee keepers who relocate hives. I’m going to let our facilities folks take care of this, they have experience with calling in the appropriate people. If a beekeeper is available who can extract them from a 19th Century roof 4 or 5 stories off the ground, isn’t put off by the mites, and can take care of them within a week or two, I’m sure they’ll ask them to come out.