Worldwide Beekeeping

Beekeeping => General Beekeeping => Topic started by: Bakersdozen on August 18, 2021, 09:09:18 pm

Title: Laying workers, would this plan work?
Post by: Bakersdozen on August 18, 2021, 09:09:18 pm

I have an out apiary with two colonies on a couple's rural property. At the end of June I did an inspection and find one colony queenless without any brood, eggs, etc.  The second colony had 1 capped queen cell.  I had to have some cancer removed off the top of my head the beginning of July.  I was surprised when I was told not to lift over 10 pounds until the staples came out, 30 days later.  I feared the worst and delayed going out there until today.  To my surprise the colony with one capped queen cell was doing great.  She was laying and had nice pattern.  As you can imagine the queenless colony had developed laying workers but still had plenty of workers present and lots of food stores.

Would this plan work?  Can I just do a newspaper combine and set the queenless colony on top of the queen right colony?  Will they kill the queen in the strong colony?  Do I still need to do a shake out?
Thanks in advance for your opinion.

Title: Re: Laying workers, would this plan work?
Post by: The15thMember on August 18, 2021, 10:45:14 pm

I'm not sure, but I don't think a combine would work.  Laying worker colonies are often under the impression they are queenright, because the pheromones the laying workers produce are similar to those produced by a laying queen.  Thus, LW colonies will generally ball and kill queens. 

I hope everything went well with your procedure.  Seems weird that something on the top of your head could be affected by lifting.   

Title: Re: Laying workers, would this plan work?
Post by: iddee on August 19, 2021, 04:33:19 am

A combine is risky. A shake out is much safer. With bees, you never know. Either may work, either may fail, but the shake out is a much better bet.

Title: Re: Laying workers, would this plan work?
Post by: RAST on August 19, 2021, 07:20:20 am

I agree with the shakeout, those that say just combine usually won't miss the colony if it fails.

Title: Re: Laying workers, would this plan work?
Post by: Bakersdozen on August 19, 2021, 10:39:53 am

Quote from: The15thMember on August 18, 2021, 10:45:14 pm

  Seems weird that something on the top of your head could be affected by lifting.   

Yes, I thought so too until I bent over and could definitely feel the pressure pulling on the incision.  We don't have any extra skin on top of our heads and even though the spot was a little bigger than a dime, the doctor used 28 staples.

Thanks for the opinions.  I haven't treated these colonies for mites yet and with all the drone brood in the laying worker colony I might overwhelm the queen right colony.

Title: Re: Laying workers, would this plan work?
Post by: Bakersdozen on August 21, 2021, 10:10:34 am

Taking your advice I did a shake out and brought the wooden ware home.  I remember someone describing a similar situation. "They're dead and they don't even know it."
I pulled the supers off the other colony and treated for mites.