Remains of Laying worker manipulation

[buzz lightyear]

I had a laying worker situation. About a week ago I shook them out a few hundred yards away, as you do.
The flyers came back and the younger, non flyers clumped in the grass, as I expected, hopfully with the laying worker.
Next day, I noticed they (the clump) were stil alive huddled together on the ground.
Rightly or wrongly I let them run up into a nuc box. A week later, just out of interest I had a look inside, expecting to see the product of the laying worker, i.e. drone brood, in an irratic pattern. However, I m saw no brood at all, no eggs, nothing.
My question is, has the layer stoped laying completly, or just for the winter, or is it possible she is lost, I don't see any sign of her back at base.
I have since merged the flyers with another colony.
The young lot amount to about 4 frames, so I could use them.
Is it worth a test frame. or doesnt that work with laying workers.
Thanks for advice, Buzz

 

[buzz lightyear]

Any thoughts???

 

[Finman]

.
To shake worker queen in lawn is an old belief and is based on imagination.
A Brittish university revieled the secret 10 years ago.
worker layers are hundreds. New arise.

when you give a normal larva frame from another hive bees rtart to raise normal queen.
I have reguened those hives normally. No problem.

 

[oliver90owner]

The general consensus of the few who have the experience, or followed previous threads, will say, I think, by all means add some eggs/brood. Probable outcome is they will become less likely to develop further laying workers and might well build queen cells.

If brood is OK and no laying workers are apparent in say a week or ten days, it would be much safer for uniting them with another colony, maybe after adding some more open brood (to keep up the pheromone levels). Just don't leave any queen cells to hatch or you may create further problems.....

I would add brood from the uniting colony as it will be returning, hopefully, in a few days with unification, and feed them syrup and make sure they have enough pollen in their store.

Regards, RAB

 

[buzz lightyear]

thanks for that, I'll put in some brood, then unite. Buzz

 

[jezd]

thanks for that, I'll put in some brood, then unite. Buzz

Buzz, how did this go for you?

I am curious as I have a drone layer it seems (either a queen or worker(s) - although I cant find queen mind) and need to resolve asap.

My plan after more reading on this is to a) take a frame of brood from a nuc and place this in the hive, step b) is to then hope they start QC's so I can then drop a mated queen in place. Tick tock, tick tock....


Jez

 

[BKF Admin]

Jezd I dont suppose its a hive that has been treated is it?
I thought I had a drone laying queen last month but then found that she had a break in laying due to Thymol treatment and took over a week to get laying single fertilised eggs again.

 

[jezd]

Jezd I dont suppose its a hive that has been treated is it?
I thought I had a drone laying queen last month but then found that she had a break in laying due to Thymol treatment and took over a week to get laying single fertilised eggs again.

yes they are on Apiguard still, I didnt realise they could switch to unfertilised eggs due to Thymol - I knew they could stop/slow laying as some of mine have (about 25%)

time is ticking mind and unlike every other hive i just cant spot her either so I suspected the queen was gone and it was a laying worker issue.

hmmmmm, never easy....

 

[jezd]

good news admin, just found her, slightly smaller than normal and very black queen, took her out and will replace her in 48hrs with a new mated queen - I will store this DL one for now as i dont plan to buy anymore after this week, as you say it could be the Thymol playing up with her

Ps just re-read your post, are you saying the she stopped laying all together or was a DL for a while?

 

[BKF Admin]

I found one of my queens stopped laying after the Thymol threatment,when she started laying again I found 4-6 eggs per cell with some Drone brood,after a few more days she got back into the rhythm of things.

 

[buzz lightyear]

merged a few weeks ago. Seem fine. Buzz

 

[jezd]

I found one of my queens stopped laying after the Thymol threatment,when she started laying again I found 4-6 eggs per cell with some Drone brood,after a few more days she got back into the rhythm of things.

I assume that mine is the same issue, she was a good layer and then I had these DL issues, I will use her again once the Thymol is out

JD

 

[BKF Admin]

Yes it could be,just a heads up before you give her the chop..
Mark.