Drone laying queen

[Frosty27]

This is my second full season beekeeping. Went to do a first inspection in my three hives yesterday. All was well in two hives. In the third hive noticed a single supersedure cell. It had hatched. The queen couldn't have survived the winter. She was a queen from a swarm I caught last year so no idea how old she was.

There are eggs being laid in the centre of the cells but the hive has plenty of drone brood but I couldnt see any worker brood.

Is this a tip out job?

 

[user 20297]

This is my second full season beekeeping. Went to do a first inspection in my three hives yesterday. All was well in two hives. In the third hive noticed a single supersedure cell. It had hatched. The queen couldn't have survived the winter. She was a queen from a swarm I caught last year so no idea how old she was.

There are eggs being laid in the centre of the cells but the hive has plenty of drone brood but I couldnt see any worker brood.

Is this a tip out job?

Ditto....................ish.

 

[Ian123]

This is my second full season beekeeping. Went to do a first inspection in my three hives yesterday. All was well in two hives. In the third hive noticed a single supersedure cell. It had hatched. The queen couldn't have survived the winter. She was a queen from a swarm I caught last year so no idea how old she was.

There are eggs being laid in the centre of the cells but the hive has plenty of drone brood but I couldnt see any worker brood.

Is this a tip out job?

Yes tip out…….. Remaining bees are likely old and you have spare hives.

 

[polymath]

Okay sounds like drone laying worker but are the cells with eggs in nicely grouped together or spread out with one here one there. If they are grouped together you have a drone laying queen. I would put a frame of eggs in see if they make up a new queen cell. If drone laying worker and you have more than one hive then you can save it. How to fix a laying worker hive

However in Beecraft in September 2022 a variation on this was given which i think is even better. Take a good hive, open remove roof and crown board, place travel screen over, place drone laying worker hive on top. Come back after 4 days if you cannot find any new eggs then the workers have stopped laying due to phermones from the hive brood below. Then you have a choice merge in with colony below, phermones have already mixed no paper needed or take off, put on new floor and either requeen or give frame of eggs for them to requeen themselves.

Now if drone laying queen you need to find the queen and kill her ideally, although i had two this year, one i did that to the other the bees were making a new queen cell so i left them to get on with it. Add frame of eggs and let them sort themselves out.

 

[Frosty27]

Okay sounds like drone laying worker but are the cells with eggs in nicely grouped together or spread out with one here one there. If they are grouped together you have a drone laying queen. I would put a frame of eggs in see if they make up a new queen cell. If drone laying worker and you have more than one hive then you can save it. How to fix a laying worker hive

However in Beecraft in September 2022 a variation on this was given which i think is even better. Take a good hive, open remove roof and crown board, place travel screen over, place drone laying worker hive on top. Come back after 4 days if you cannot find any new eggs then the workers have stopped laying due to phermones from the hive brood below. Then you have a choice merge in with colony below, phermones have already mixed no paper needed or take off, put on new floor and either requeen or give frame of eggs for them to requeen themselves.

Now if drone laying queen you need to find the queen and kill her ideally, although i had two this year, one i did that to the other the bees were making a new queen cell so i left them to get on with it. Add frame of eggs and let them sort themselves out.

To be honest there aren't many eggs but the ones that are there are getting laid in the centre of the cells. Plus I found a single supersedure cell. That's why I assumed it was a drone laying queen. I'm going to have a look tomorrow again then decide what to do.

 

[enrico]

To be honest there aren't many eggs but the ones that are there are getting laid in the centre of the cells. Plus I found a single supersedure cell. That's why I assumed it was a drone laying queen. I'm going to have a look tomorrow again then decide what to do.

Decide what to do in every circumstance before you open the hive otherwise you will achieve nothing

 

[polymath]

To be honest there aren't many eggs but the ones that are there are getting laid in the centre of the cells. Plus I found a single supersedure cell. That's why I assumed it was a drone laying queen. I'm going to have a look tomorrow again then decide what to do.

It is not about the number of eggs it is where they are. Are they dotted around, or as with a normal queen laying close together, nice pattern etc. Also are their mutliple eggs in one cell that is worker generally unless new queen.

 

[Frosty27]

It is not about the number of eggs it is where they are. Are they dotted around, or as with a normal queen laying close together, nice pattern etc. Also are their mutliple eggs in one cell that is worker generally unless new queen.

Definitely not multiple eggs in one cell. And they seem to be grouped up. But there is very few of them.