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Author Topic: Laying Worker  (Read 4241 times)

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Offline whg3

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Laying Worker
« on: March 15, 2016, 03:58:03 pm »
In one of my hives there is only drone cells so I have lost my queen.  How do I get rid of the laying worker?
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Offline iddee

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Re: Laying Worker
« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2016, 04:06:07 pm »
Go to another hive and get a frame with eggs and small larva. Check in 7 days for queen cells.  If none, get another frame with eggs and do the same thing again.

In the meantime, try to purchase a queen. If successful, come back and ask about introducing her to a laying worker hive.
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Offline apisbees

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Re: Laying Worker
« Reply #2 on: March 15, 2016, 04:44:15 pm »
100% what Iddee said. The brood you add will give the hive the boost in population and will also add the younger nurse bees to the hive, so if you do find a queen it will improve the chances of her acceptance. I also think it is best for the colony to put in a mated queen with it being this early in the season and the fact that the bees in this hive are older and will be dying off quicker now.

This all said and if you can not find any queens and you don't see enough signs of drones to be assured of a good mating of a queen they raise themselves. then I would combine it with a hive that could use the extra population now and then split the colony later in the spring when queens are available or the weather is more favorable to raising queens successfully.
If combining for now is the way you need to procees, come back and ask about combining a laying worker hive.
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Offline whg3

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Re: Laying Worker
« Reply #3 on: March 15, 2016, 05:56:56 pm »
Okay I have found a queen I'll pick her up tomorrow  how do I introduce her?
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Offline iddee

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Re: Laying Worker
« Reply #4 on: March 15, 2016, 06:43:30 pm »
Come see me or Keith. We have a special frame you put her in until the workers quit laying.

Check your PM's.
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“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
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Offline vossejongk

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Re: Laying Worker
« Reply #5 on: April 04, 2016, 08:22:06 am »
Just a heads up, queen might have run out of sperm to fertilise the eggs she's laying. This means you still have a queen, she's just worthless now.

If you really do have laying workers then you can do what I did: add a frame of brood in all stages every 6 days, and keep checking the other frames if they still contain the typical worker eggs: lots of eggs in every cell. As soon as you cant find any more eggs in the frames that you did not add yourself, introduce A queen in a cage and add 2 frames of brood, preferably frames where the bees are hatching if you can find them. These bees will accept and feed that introduced queen right away.

Keep the queen in the cage for at least 4 days so the hive gets used to her scent but can't get to her. After this open the cage and plug the exit with some sugar dough. The bees will eat the dough and will set free the queen. Now you saved your hive and safely introduced a new queen :) this method took me about a month before the laying workers disappeared but it worked, and that's what counts for me
« Last Edit: April 04, 2016, 08:26:22 am by vossejongk »
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Offline brooksbeefarm

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Re: Laying Worker
« Reply #6 on: April 04, 2016, 09:43:59 am »
I read somewhere? that to put a queen rite hive on top of the laying worker hive with the entrance pointing the opposite direction and a double screen between them. Leave for a week, then take screen out to combine. They claimed it has worked every time? They then split the hive. Anyone else hear of this or did i just dreamed it?? Be nice iddee & perry ;D Jack
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Offline apisbees

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Re: Laying Worker
« Reply #7 on: April 04, 2016, 10:23:43 am »
You don't need a double screen just a single that will keep the bees from traveling through.
When a bees life is as short as 6 weeks. Why waste 3 or 4 weeks trying to get them into raising or excepting a queen.
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Offline iddee

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Re: Laying Worker
« Reply #8 on: April 04, 2016, 11:10:22 am »
A frame of brood a week for 3 weeks? Why not just 3 frames of brood and queen in another box and shake the  laying worker hive out 10 feet in front of it?

Same job done, but in 30 minutes rather than three weeks.

Yes, Jack, your way works, too.
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Offline apisbees

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Re: Laying Worker
« Reply #9 on: April 04, 2016, 12:03:49 pm »
I'm with Iddee on this one. Yes it can be done but at cost to other dounner hives. Even early spring befor queens are available and nucs can be made allow, shake the bees and allow them to goin other colonies where they can do some good. Later on in the spring nucs can be made from they colonies that were strenghend by the added bees.
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Laying Worker
« Reply #10 on: April 05, 2016, 04:08:22 am »
Some good advice already here.
   The reason adding frames of brood works is because of the pheromone, or smell. The lack of the pheromone from queen and brood will cause the workers to start laying. in order to suppress them, that pheromone needs to be re introduced, and as stated, it takes time. I have done it with three frames of brood a week apart. What you have to ask yourself, is if it is worth the time, effort, and resources to get them to be queen right again? Yep, it is possible, but as mentioned, it is usually more feasible to do it Iddee's way;

Quote from: iddee on April 04, 2016, 11:10:22 am
A frame of brood a week for 3 weeks? Why not just 3 frames of brood and queen in another box and shake the  laying worker hive out 10 feet in front of it?

Same job done, but in 30 minutes rather than three weeks.

Yes, Jack, your way works, too.
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