Quickest way to overcome laying worker.

[Newbeeneil]

I have a hive that's been a nightmare all season, swarming, lost queens, supercedure and now they appear queenless with multiple eggs and drones in worker cells.
They were not interested in a test frame so I'm wondering if the easiest way to save the foragers from this hive might be to uniite with a strong Q+ hive over paper? At least we may get a few lb of honey from them.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Don't waste your time and energy on it - shake them out in front of the other hives and let them beg their way in.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Shake them out and take their old home away, give the drone brood to the birds

 

[For want of a better word]

I have a hive that's been a nightmare all season, swarming, lost queens, supercedure and now they appear queenless with multiple eggs and drones in worker cells.
They were not interested in a test frame so I'm wondering if the easiest way to save the foragers from this hive might be to uniite with a strong Q+ hive over paper? At least we may get a few lb of honey from them.

Maybe a tad late in the season... worth a try?

Chons da

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

I have a hive that's been a nightmare all season, swarming, lost queens, supercedure and now they appear queenless with multiple eggs and drones in worker cells.
They were not interested in a test frame so I'm wondering if the easiest way to save the foragers from this hive might be to uniite with a strong Q+ hive over paper? At least we may get a few lb of honey from them.

Shake out / unite: 6 of one, half a dozen of the other WITH ONE EXCEPTION. There's always a chance of some sort of Q in there so put a QE over the paper just in case so the WORKERS sort it out, not the Qs mano a mano. Personally, I'd shake probably unless there were comb-based reasons not to.

 

[Karsal]

I did exactly that three years ago. Shook a colony of drone laying workers out 40 yards away from the apiary then walked over to see them beg to go in two other hives.
It didn't happen!!
Caused absolute chaos at the entrances to the hives with fighting everywhere and bees flying off carrying dead bees and dropping them 20 yards away.
What sort of trauma it must cause to established colonies is definitely not worth it in my book.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Why carry the hive 40 yards away?
Done it loads of times, within a few feet of the hives - never once seen what you describe, in fact, usually, within ten minutes all the stray bees have been accepted into the other hives and the apiary looks as normal.

 

[Swarm]

Why carry the hive 40 yards away?
Done it loads of times, within a few feet of the hives - never once seen what you describe, in fact, usually, within ten minutes all the stray bees have been accepted into the other hives and the apiary looks as normal.

Shook a drone laying colony out a month ago. Moved the hive away from its position on the stand and then took each frame to shake in front of the other hives. By the time I'd done each frame, there were fanning bees gathered at the entrances of adjacent hives and after stacking the box and shutting up, all was back to normal.

 

[Millet]

Why carry the hive 40 yards away?
Done it loads of times, within a few feet of the hives - never once seen what you describe, in fact, usually, within ten minutes all the stray bees have been accepted into the other hives and the apiary looks as normal.

I have done exactly the same five times in three years..the only problem i had with one this year was half of the shook out bees gathered under the open mesh floor of one colony..it was easily fixed by changing the floor for a one with a inspection tray pushed in for a day..that solved the issue and other than that all went smoothly with the other four..

 

[Erichalfbee]

this year was half of the shook out bees gathered under the open mesh floor of one colony.

Exactly the same here
I now put the inspection trays in all the hives when I shake a colony out

 

[ericbeaumont]

It didn't happen!!
Caused absolute chaos at the entrances to the hives with fighting everywhere and bees flying off carrying dead bees and dropping them 20 yards away

Works when a flow is on and helps if the shaken are smoked beforehand, to make sure they arrive with honey.

No flow, no go.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I disagree - works whatever the conditions

 

[Erichalfbee]

I always smoke my shake outs

 

[Hebeegeebee]

No one thing ALWAYS works with beekeeping.
I have had a newspaper unite fail. I have also had shaken out bees not accepted. (Once for each occurence).

Bees that are shaken out without food in them have nothing to offer when they beg for entrance in another colony so they are more likely to be refused entry.

One easy way to split the problem colony is to move the problem hive so the flyers return - with food in them - over the next couple of days and find the nearest entrance to where their hive was. After that, the problem brood box can be put over an excluder over newspaper on a strong hive - but don't forget that drone brood is a magnet for varroa.

 

[mazzamazda]

I nearly always shook hives out, this year I had lots of smaller colonies turn to laying workers due to bad weather and poor queen mating. This left me with lots of work so I started looking for better methods. Now I either add a nearly hatching queen cell with about 50% success, run in a virgin 75% success or for about 95% success I add a mated queen direct.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I nearly always shook hives out, this year I had lots of smaller colonies turn to laying workers due to bad weather and poor queen mating. This left me with lots of work so I started looking for better methods. Now I either add a nearly hatching queen cell with about 50% success, run in a virgin 75% success or for about 95% success I add a mated queen direct.

Is that a mated LAYING queen, Mark?

 

[mazzamazda]

Is that a mated LAYING queen, Mark?

Yes, laid an egg in the last few hours queen. Virgins are nearly as good but its time required to mate. I looked at one earlier while we were on the subject, needs some help, lovely laying queen surrounded by 90% drones as the old bees die off, very little brood. Much easier than dealing with the ruined frames and old bees in different hives which are on their death bed. IMO of course.