Queenless

[Matt1971]

Just had a look through my original hive and there seems to be no new queen, had five swarms from this hive and managed to keep three of them. There are plenty of bee's in this hive, but all the new brood so far is drone brood and they have been making new queencells, so i think i have a laying worker. Looked through the books but there is no advice about this what should i do?

 

[dpearce4]

if you have one put a frame of mixed brood into it from another hive that has brood at all stages if QC are made on it then you are queenless if not then you should be ok.

 

[oliver90owner]

They are unlikely to have laying workers if queen cells are being produced. The probability is a DLQ present.

Are you able to tell the difference between laying worker brood and queen's brood?

What should you do? Find the drone laying queen and remove her before requeening, I would think, but first ascertain if laying worker or queen brood (it may make a difference).

 

[Andy Duff]

They are unlikely to have laying workers if queen cells are being produced. The probability is a DLQ present.

Are you able to tell the difference between laying worker brood and queen's brood?

What should you do? Find the drone laying queen and remove her before requeening, I would think, but first ascertain if laying worker or queen brood (it may make a difference).

5 swarms this year?

 

[Hivemaker.]

They are unlikely to have laying workers if queen cells are being produced.

Laying workers will produce useless queen cells,and often lay several eggs in them,which produce useless larvae,more so in the early stages of turning laying worker.

 

[Bates]

Laying workers will produce useless queen cells,and often lay several eggs in them,which produce useless larvae,more so in the early stages of turning laying worker.

 

[susbees]

what should i do?

Consider whether your hive type is big enough and learn basic swarm control. Five is probably something of a record...

 

[Polyanwood]

Just had a look through my original hive and there seems to be no new queen, had five swarms from this hive and managed to keep three of them. There are plenty of bee's in this hive, but all the new brood so far is drone brood and they have been making new queencells, so i think i have a laying worker. Looked through the books but there is no advice about this what should i do?

I'm wondering what the time line is.

Mostly people worry too early. If there is still drone brood because you last laying queen left less than 24 days ago, then relax. Think about doing a test frame.

If there is lots of new drone brood and multiple eggs, some of the side of cells, probs is laying workers. They are not much use. You could combine by moving the colony 3 metres away and putting in its place another colony with a laying queen and a QE under the BB (because you don't really want all those drones either). Then shake out all the bees from the box with laying workers onto the grass and burn any of the frames that are mostly drone brood.

 

[FreeFall]

...and burn any of the frames that are mostly drone brood.

Why would you do that?

 

[Poly Hive]

Because you will have too many drones if you keep them.

PH

 

[oliver90owner]

Get rid of the wax, maybe, but burning the frames - while a possibility - is not something I would do. I recycle mine after sterilising and cleaning them in near boiling caustic solution.

 

[FreeFall]

I understand that you don't want the drones, but why not save the frames? The only reason I can think of is that the worker cells get enlarged which causes a future queen to lay unfertilised eggs in them - presumably you could, even then, scrape back to foundation and let the bees clean them up and re-draw them.

I must be missing something.

 

[BeeJayBee]

shake out all the bees from the box with laying workers onto the grass and burn any of the frames that are mostly drone brood.

Why would you do that?

Because you will have too many drones if you keep them.

I don't understand why the frames should be destroyed either, although I could see the sense in melting down the comb and replacing it with fresh wax.

 

[susbees]

Get rid of the wax, maybe, but burning the frames - while a possibility - is not something I would do. I recycle mine after sterilising and cleaning them in near boiling caustic solution.

No you don't.... near boiling washing soda?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[oliver90owner]

No you don't.... near boiling washing soda?

I know what I use thanks. Caustic means very alkaline. The pH of mine is rather higher than washing soda.