Author Topic: Laying workers  (Read 2136 times)

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Offline Zulu

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Laying workers
« on: May 19, 2014, 09:13:47 pm »
So as a service to others will explain what I came across while helping another beek.

She lost her hive last year despite trying to re queen twice, we had a bad spate of packages that did not have viable queens last spring.

So two new packages this season , these were set up 3 weeks ago, found a ball of bees out front of one this weekend. And could see no brood in either hive so called for help.

Beautiful afternoon today, both hives had pollen coming in with good bee activity. They volunteered that the LHD hive was mean, so decided to open the RHS first. Both 8 frame hives.

7 frames had activity , good honey on outside frames, one undrawn frame.   Bees were calm, and while I found no capped brood , we had 2,5 frames with eggs, good pattern and found the queen , good looking pale lady.

So to the second hive, puff of smoke and opened her up, 2 frames still mostly untouched, good honey in outer frames, but multiple eggs plus eggs in pollen cells, 3frames both sides full of multiple eggs. Bees were in not too bad a mood, did not need to suit up.

So we will do a shake out tomorrow evening while they make space in the freezer for 7 frames.

We will shake out all frames 10 feet in front of hives, but there won't be a LHS hive to go back to.
The frames will be put in freezer to kill the eggs, and put back on top of good hive on Wednesday morning.

Then in about 3 weeks they can do a split again to get the second hive back.

As my mentor I checked my plan with Iddee, and he concurs.... :-)


I will try get pics tomorrow.
Zulu's Bees

Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Laying workers
« Reply #1 on: May 19, 2014, 09:17:17 pm »
Sounds like a good plan. Looking forward to pics and updates.
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