Laying worker/s in super

[VEG]

I have a 3 year old queen in the brood with 9 frames of brood q ex then 2supers above. The queen WILL not fit through the excluder but in the supers there must be laying worker/s as drone brood up there. How do I sort this out never had it happen before. I guess the queen must be running low on queen substance but is still laying really well.

 

[oliver90owner]

Time to requeen at the earliest opportunity, I reckon.

She seems to be a good queen to breed from? If so, brood box above the supers, transfer some brood from the bottom brood and await supercedure cells.

Removing unwanted queen cells, origin of the frames and other actual details is/are down to you.

Regards, RAB

 

[VEG]

Sounds an easy way to do it. Once I have queen cells in the upper brood box will it stop the laying workers? Will 2 supers be enough space between botom brood and top?

 

[justme]

Sounds an easy way to do it. Once I have queen cells in the upper brood box will it stop the laying workers? Will 2 supers be enough space between botom brood and top?

Hi Veg,
From what I've heard frequently, 2 supers should be enough, however as a relative newbee wouldn't like to say on it stopping laying workers as I'd think not but O2O never mentioned anything so.......

 

[Poly Hive]

Why are you sure they are laying workers? What is the evidence?

PH

 

[VEG]

drone brood only in super number of eggs in some cells. As I said in earlier post the queen will not fit through the excluder as I can find her and she is too big.

 

[Poly Hive]

When you say multiple eggs in the super cells are they on the walls of the cells or on the bottom?

PH

 

[sheena]

Hi, sorry to jump in but I'm interested in what's going on here as in my super today I found 3 drone cells. Just sprinkled into the middle of one of the super's. Honey getting made around. I'm a newbee. Wasn't 100% sure so poked one of them and sure enough definately a bee in there. Just left them as I guess they will be out soon enough. But how could they have got there? So its worker bees laying? Queen seems to be busy enough down below. I only got the nuc last year so surely she would be young? Why would worker's start laying?

 

[Poly Hive]

Please do not assume you have laying workers as they are relativley rare.

Eggs do get moved by the bees which is the most likely cause.

Slightly less likely is that there is a 2nd queen above the excluder.

Another possibility is that there is damage somewhere to the excluder or it was on squint and the queen toddled up and did some laying, it is not that unusual, and if queens have a choice they like to climb.

Laying workers prove their presence by laying multiple eggs on the cell WALLS, proper queens lay eggs one at a time neatly on the cell bottom.

PH

 

[VEG]

I saw this on last inspection today the same but not as many eggs up there. Double checked the excluder no damage at all and I am all ways care full to put it back on properly. I just cant get my head around it.

 

[Poly Hive]

Workers moving eggs then or a 2nd q.

Observe and report.

PH

 

[VEG]

Will let you know what I find next weekend.

 

[VEG]

ok checked this hive again today. Still loads of drone only brood in super so on my next visit I will go into the hive and brush out all the bees in the supers onto the floor in front of the hive. I hope this will get rid of the drone laying queen/laying worker. What do you think.

 

[MJBee]

Veg,

I have the same "problem". Double National Brood 2011 Queen seen and laying like a good un. New wire QX correctly placed. First super drawn 30% full all honey, 2nd super 60% full being capped all honey, top super 7 frames full and almost capped, 2 frames with 3" area of drone larvae.???

I am hoping that it is just a blip and that the super being so far removed from the brood is the reason. I have removed the two frames and replaced them with almost full ones from super 2. The coming weekend will see if that has worked.

 

[VEG]

Well still brood in the supers so I took the supers 20 yards away, the queen was still in the brood box. I then brushed the bees into the grass the noise was amazing as there were hundreds of drones in there as they couldnt get out because of the queen excluder. I then put the supers back on the hive and will have to see what happens next visit.

 

[elvis]

We have same problem! Brood box has laying queen, all looks normal and all stages of brood. The first supa above queen excluder is drawn out with partially capped stores on most of the frames. But there is a patch about 3inch in diameter of drone brood on either side of one frame. We have scraped them all out and are waiting to see if it was a blip or if more appear. The weather is dreadful today so will have to wait a bit longer.

 

[VEG]

No more brood in the supers so with a bit of luck the laying worker/s have gone.