Dealing with laying worker colonies

[Michael ECB's]

I'm looking for some guidance and opinions please.

I have 3 x trap outs that are Queenless and have laying workers... (Checked and confirmed today)
All came out of very difficult colonies housed in trees and within walls that we could not break down..

Things to be taken in consideration.... Please
All 3 colonies must go into a quarantine apiary first.. (Even though I currently have no diseases or infestations of colonies, I am very sticky with isolating colonies first) All look very healthy..
I do not currently have any established colonies there to combine with...
Sizes of colonies are as follows (Langstroth Brood box) 1 x 3 frame,,,1 x 5 frame,,,, 1 x 6 frame of bees.
Tell tale signs on all 3 = multiple eggs in cells, typical scattered brood all slightly raised as would be for drones.

What would be the best or most successful options?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

first of all just chuck the whole lot together in one box, once quarantined, shake the lot out

 

[Michael ECB's]

You know when you're given advise that you don't want to hear.... You know, the type you never want to admit that you know its for the best but would rather wait for something more suitable or more in line with what you were wishing for.....??? So much effort and the reward is to tip them out...
So sad,,,, because of my failure 3 x queens and struggling brood are going to get sealed up... And that is the sad truth... We try and save colonies but sometimes, just sometimes, our best is just not good enough...
Thanks Mr JBM......... You confirmed what we already knew to be best......

My son has decided he is going to take a newly caught swarm at home and combine all 3 to create the "Perfect Swarm" LOL!
Will set up all the above on a new site....
Will post updates in What have you done in your apiary today...

 

[beeno]

You know when you're given advise that you don't want to hear.... You know, the type you never want to admit that you know its for the best but would rather wait for something more suitable or more in line with what you were wishing for.....??? So much effort and the reward is to tip them out...
So sad,,,, because of my failure 3 x queens and struggling brood are going to get sealed up... And that is the sad truth... We try and save colonies but sometimes, just sometimes, our best is just not good enough...
Thanks Mr JBM......... You confirmed what we already knew to be best......

My son has decided he is going to take a newly caught swarm at home and combine all 3 to create the "Perfect Swarm" LOL!
Will set up all the above on a new site....
Will post updates in What have you done in your apiary today...

I would have done the same.

 

[ericbeaumont]

My son has decided he is going to take a newly caught swarm at home and combine all 3

That'll work: as JBM said, chuck all four into a box (or two). Burn the brood (or give it to chickens) and you'll sleep easy knowing that the problem has been resolved.

 

[Michael ECB's]

first of all just chuck the whole lot together in one box, once quarantined, shake the lot out

Had a look at the frames again today.... Pffft!
Shook all 3 boxes out on a temp site housing one newish trap out colony....Will keep an eye on them..
Never had to do this before.... very sad.
Truth be told!
I slipped up here, I should have kept a closer eye on these trapouts and re-queened sooner...
My fault and lesson learned...

 

[Bronwen]

This happened to me this summer, wasted a lot of time with two broods - both egg laying workers - for some reason both failed to bring on queen cells and one killed two queens. Should have acted decisively one these traits were evident!

 

[Michael Palmer]

I never bother with LW colonies. We see some every year. One thing that usually works though...
If you catch it early enough, before the population is all old, you can give them a frame of emerging and a ripe queen cell. LW colonies usually attempt to raise a queen cell...you'll see queen cups with multiple eggs...unfortunately only drone larvae for cell. But they do make the attempt. In the mating nucs, if the little colony misses twice, they will have LWs. With a frame of emerging and a ripe cell, they more often than not wind up with a mated queen.

 

[Michael ECB's]

I never bother with LW colonies. We see some every year. One thing that usually works though...
If you catch it early enough, before the population is all old, you can give them a frame of emerging and a ripe queen cell. LW colonies usually attempt to raise a queen cell...you'll see queen cups with multiple eggs...unfortunately only drone larvae for cell. But they do make the attempt. In the mating nucs, if the little colony misses twice, they will have LWs. With a frame of emerging and a ripe cell, they more often than not wind up with a mated queen.

Thanks Mr Palmer.
As I said in an earlier post - I slipped up here, I didnt pay close enough attention to a couple of very difficult forced trapouts.... I should have known better....
Not certain about other folks but I always have a soft spot for these problematic trapouts, especially when they MUST be sealed up afterwards... I always extend the deadlines and give a little more time in the hopes the queen comes out....
Next time, stick to deadlines and re-queen early if required.

Hope others can learn from this mistake..