Iddee when you say 'Let the workers do the rest'
To that: this means that the bees will kill off the excess drones. That is A Lot of stinkin' drones, and will take too much time while the drones are still being fed by the bees, a good many of them anyway.
I think this is my plan: take each frame, several at a time, out into the field and bang the bees and drones off of the frames. Remember that the frames are void of any brood/larvae/eggs. Return the frames to the hive. The bees will return to the hive quicker than the drones, giving me time to pinch the excess drones.
Then reduce the hive to 2 boxes. Insert a frame of open brood or as close to that as I can find. Intro a queen.
What do ya think?