Drone laying queen

[BKF Admin]

I managed to pull a few frames on a couple of hives this afternoon for the first time this year.

One hive looks like it has a drone laying queen,no sealed worker brood and only one egg per cell,all sealed brood has been drawn out when capped.

The hive is about 5 frames of bees so looks strong.

I will give it a week and check again as the forcast is for 15c midweek.

If things still look the same then I plan to unite the hive with another using newspaper,does anyone think thats not the best idea?

The other thing I may try is to go up the path and chuck the bees out,then give the empty hive a frame of eggs from another hive ?

 

[Polyanwood]

If you give frame of eggs won't you have a problem getting your new queen mated... won't be enough drones around by the time she needs to mate and problem could repeat itself? I guess timing is key????

 

[BKF Admin]

If you give frame of eggs won't you have a problem getting your new queen mated... won't be enough drones around by the time she needs to mate and problem could repeat itself? I guess timing is key????

That was my thought,although that hive now has plenty of drones,no idea if they will fly in this weather though.

I do have another idea that I am going to chat with a member about and will report back.

 

[Polyanwood]

I haven't looked at my bees yet, but one of my queens mated (or not) late September. I think she may be a drone layer too.

 

[Finman]

I.

If things still look the same then I plan to unite the hive with another using newspaper,does anyone think thats not the best idea?
?

Look first if you see the laying queen and kill it. Then join to another hive.

5 frames of bees is a small colony.

 

[Poly Hive]

Drones raised by drone layers are not much use guys.

I would adopt Admin's plan A with his modification. I certainly would not wait a week. To achieve what? All that is going to happen is that more cells are going to be damaged, and more bees are going to die which could in the mean time help support another colony to push on.

No time like the present, and to be honest the job does NOT need warm weather. Roof off, CB off double layer of news paper, a few pricks with the corner of the hive tool and on goes the DL box, preferably de-queened first, and thats that.

PH

 

[Finman]

.
In these cases I use to take the unmated queen away and then I join directly the hive with another hive. I do not use papers.

 

[BKF Admin]

Did you spray them Finman?

 

[Finman]

Did you spray them Finman?

No. But often I somehow try what another gang like about the new queen.
If you put the queen walk among them, you see what they like.
Quite safe is to put the queen under a small cage and press it against the comb.