Re Queening A laying Worker Colony

[Millet]

I will be getting a new mated Queen tomorrow to make a nuc up from the new very prolific bees i have now, that is the easy part.

Hard part (1) is i have what i suspect a laying worker colony that had a test frame put in Saturday gone, if the bees have drawn Queen cells on that test frame when i check on Saturday, is it worth risking another mated Queen to that colony and remove any Queen cells.

Hard Part (2) If the bees have not produced any Queen cells on the test frame and the laying worker is still in there could i shake all the bees out of the hive, then remove all the frames with multiple eggs and drone brood and replace them with drawn empty comb and a couple of frames of new foundation with the new Queen still in the cage in the hive for when all the bees return to the hive, or does both of them option sound a bit risky.

I could let them raise the Queen cells if they make any but three times last year at raising new Queens failed and two Virgin Queens this year also vanished (Swallows) so you may understand why i'm slightly paranoid about trying to get another Virgin Queen mated.

Or Hard part (3) should i write the colony of and let the hive dwindle away.
Thanks.
Steve.

 

[wightbees]

Sorry link don't work... Basically I would shake out in front of another hive

 

[For want of a better word]

Chuck the lot in the hedge behind the hive.... then place your new nuc and luvverly native queen on the old stand... any bees capable of flying will move into the new nuc... you could even put some of the brood comb back into the nuc....
spray everything with nice rosemary water!

sit back and enjoy.... happy days

Yeghes da

 

[Millet]

Sorry link don't work... Basically I would shake out in front of another hive

What link.. lol .. regarding shaking these bees out they are mental.

 

[wightbees]

http://www.norfolk bee.co.uk/beekeepers-resource/drone-laying-queen-or-laying-workers

Remove space

 

[enrico]

What link.. lol .. regarding shaking these bees out they are mental.

That will teach them a lesson then. Video it so we can see what happens

 

[Millet]

http://www.norfolk bee.co.uk/beekeepers-resource/drone-laying-queen-or-laying-workers

Remove space

I tried to post a link but it would not work, from what i have read i am onto a hiding for nothing and it may not be worth the hassle unless some experienced egg has a proven method.

 

[wightbees]

Lol

 

[Millet]

Brain wave or not.. if i take the original angry hive to another spot and stick the new nuc on the spot it came from, in theory all the flying bees will head back to the nuc with a new caged Queen and the laying worker will stop in the moved hive, where it will slowly die off. ?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Brain wave or not.. if i take the original angry hive to another spot and stick the new nuc on the spot it came from, in theory all the flying bees will head back to the nuc with a new caged Queen and the laying worker will stop in the moved hive, where it will slowly die off. ?

I might be worried about introducing a new queen to the most aggressive members of your colony.
i wouldn't shake bees out in front of only one hive s how many other colonies do you have?
As the new queen is on her way you have to put her somewhere. Can you make a nuc up for her? I know it doesn't solve your problem.

 

[Millet]

I might be worried about introducing a new queen to the most aggressive members of your colony.
i wouldn't shake bees out in front of only one hive s how many other colonies do you have?
As the new queen is on her way you have to put her somewhere. Can you make a nuc up for her? I know it doesn't solve your problem.

I am going to make a Nuc with nice bees Erica and put a new Queen in the Nuc, that is easy peezy lemon squeezy.

However i have a angry colony that i am unsure about till Saturday, Q cells on the test frame or still drone laying worker ??? .

I have a 3hr round trip tomorrow to pick a mated Queen up, so i'm thinking if there is any way possible to save the angry colony i will try it, which means buying two mated Queens , all i have read and being told IS write the laying worker colony of but i do not want to if i can help it.

 

[Chris-W]

I have the same issue (laying workers) in one colony.

Decision here is ditch them. Not got enough frames of open brood to pherome them out of it and I don't want to shake out and risk my one other colony being besieged by grumpy refugees.

Maybe for you too on the balance of risk ?

 

[Millet]

I have the same issue (laying workers) in one colony.

Decision here is ditch them. Not got enough frames of open brood to pherome them out of it and I don't want to shake out and risk my one other colony being besieged by grumpy refugees.

Maybe for you too on the balance of risk ?

Thank you Chris, it is complicated but easy if you get my drift.

 

[Plenty of honey]

I have the same issue (laying workers) in one colony.

Decision here is ditch them. Not got enough frames of open brood to pherome them out of it and I don't want to shake out and risk my one other colony being besieged by grumpy refugees.

Maybe for you too on the balance of risk ?

Sometimes a fast running virgin may just do it! last year as i had cells, i hatched them out and put one virgin, thats was particularly vigorous and running around on the frames, in to a laying worker colony. She mated and did get the colony queen right but it took a while for the colony to sort out the excess drones and i did give a frame of brood, more so to help correct the shortage of nurse bees and workers in the colony. However it did work.
if you have no other choice, its worth a go!! last resort.com

 

[Millet]

Thank you Richard

 

[thibault]

Sometimes a fast running virgin may just do it! last year as i had cells, i hatched them out and put one virgin, thats was particularly vigorous and running around on the frames, in to a laying worker colony. She mated and did get the colony queen right but it took a while for the colony to sort out the excess drones and i did give a frame of brood, more so to help correct the shortage of nurse bees and workers in the colony. However it did work.
if you have no other choice, its worth a go!! last resort.com

Recently did the same, had a capped queen cup, put it in a small cage, came back few day later, queen had emerged and they looked like they had already accepted her, released her, no problem, just waiting for her to get mated (not populous hive though, a 14x12 nuc, 5 frames)

 

[Plenty of honey]

Recently did the same, had a capped queen cup, put it in a small cage, came back few day later, queen had emerged and they looked like they had already accepted her, released her, no problem, just waiting for her to get mated (not populous hive though, a 14x12 nuc, 5 frames)

Good! but try and add even a little brood, as it will help the colony. Dont forget it has to be a frame of brood equal to the amount or smaller than the amount of bees you have to keep said brood warm. Even half a frame of brood can be the make or break for a struggling colony in a few weeks when old workers die off through exhaustion.

 

[thibault]

Good! but try and add even a little brood, as it will help the colony. Dont forget it has to be a frame of brood equal to the amount or smaller than the amount of bees you have to keep said brood warm. Even half a frame of brood can be the make or break for a struggling colony in a few weeks when old workers die off through exhaustion.

Thank you for the precious advice [emoji106]

Envoyé de mon SM-J710F en utilisant Tapatalk

 

[Hebeegeebee]

IF a queen is on her way, then putting her in a bee-less hive and allowing the flyers from the LW colony to fly back might work. I would be inclined to tape up the cage so only the sides are exposed so the queen and workers can escape any attack from the bees. Only open up the cage a few days later. (Usually putting a cage between two brood frames means that only the sides of the cage are exposed thus giving some protection).

 

[Beefriendly]

IF a queen is on her way, then putting her in a bee-less hive and allowing the flyers from the LW colony to fly back might work. I would be inclined to tape up the cage so only the sides are exposed so the queen and workers can escape any attack from the bees. Only open up the cage a few days later. (Usually putting a cage between two brood frames means that only the sides of the cage are exposed thus giving some protection).

I wouldn't attempt this. Local bees can be notoriously difficult to requeen to new strain and a queen still in a cage and old bolshy bees flying in to a newly set up nuc....too many unpredictables.
Set up nuc from calm bees and then wait for new queen to be accepted and start laying and nuc building up......then and only then would I think about throwing out the laying workers and letting them repopulate that hive....
To be honest they haven't got that long left to live so are not going to do much good anyway. Dwindle might be the best solution for them.