Drone laying worker?

[Taliesin]

One of my colonies decided to supercede despite doing well. I'd put some foundationless frames in one super (with a queen excluder), which they were drawing out nicely in drone-sized cells, as they do.

Four weeks later, and there is drone brood in the foundationless frames in the super - but also brood in the brood box. Too early to tell yet whether the brood in the BB is drone or worker - but will be capped by the weekend so I'll be able to tell. Single eggs in each cell, and appears to be a normal laying pattern.

Question is, is this a young (small) queen who can get through a QX or a drone laying worker? Plan is to check at the weekend and then I should be able to tell by how they're capped. Meanwhile, interested to know whether young queens can get through a QX.

PS it's a wired QX with no gaps.

 

[eltalia]

Where they are drawing drone cell on a auper there is a queen present.
Revisit your technique.

Queen excluders are designed around the thorax size of a queen, something
fixed for Life within that first hour (minutes even) post emergence.
99.95% of "queen above excluder" is operator error, regardless of
the "they starved her and she got through" numpty chant.

Bill

 

[coffindodger]

See thread from Torq; wonder how many others have got a similar problem?

 

[Millet]

I have had a Queen get through the excluder but she was a tiny unmated scrub Queen the same size as a worker..by god was she hard to find..

 

[Taliesin]

See thread from Torq; wonder how many others have got a similar problem?

Thanks. Yes - exactly the same situation. Larvae & eggs in brood box and super (with QX between). Will find out at the weekend if all drone.