So very very queenless

[Bevbee]

Hi . I put a test frame from another hive in as I suspected it was queen-less ( 10/7) . A week later they had drawn an emergency QC. I left them to it and checked 10 days ago -= nothing . But then I saw loads of pollen going in and hope......
Just checked and a worker had been laying drone ( bit of a mess) but no sign of a queen.

I think that I know the answer but .............. Is there any hope for them ? Is it too late to buy them a new queen and expect them to survive the Winter?


Thanks

 

[REDWOOD]

go back in and find out if you have laying workers or a drone laying queen

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Either way the only hope is a new queen

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[Bevbee]

From the lack of organisation in the laying and the fact that I can't find a queen , I am pretty sure that this is a worker laying . Should I be be looking for any other clues ?

 

[Bevbee]

Is it too late in the year to buy a new queen ? Is it worth me pacing an order for one ?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

still queens around, how strong is the colony? if so-so I would just cut my losses and shake out, if pretty strong, give them a frame of brood now to try and cool down the laying a bit then try and source a queen.

 

[Millet]

I had a laying worker not long ago, the give away was obliviously drone brood and a dead Queen cell that i had put in there to make a Q- hive Q+, one other factor give the game away for me which was multiple eggs in each cell, have a look at your brood frames to see if you have multiple eggs in each cell, here is a picture i took a few days ago of my laying workers efforts.

 

[Bevbee]

Fab photo ! Thank you .your workers are far more competent layers than mine

 

[Millet]

So it may not be a laying worker, ? .

 

[MerryBee]

If you have a super on the hive have a look in it for brood. If brood in the super (above a QE) you can be sure its laying workers. It wouldnt be surprising to have laying workers if the colony has been queenless for more than 6 weeks.

 

[Bevbee]

Pretty sure that mine is laying workers . I am new to this ( first full year )and have been reading up on the difference between drone laying queens and laying workers .

I have a nuc coming on Thursday and I was going to combine the hives using newspaper - but this appears to be a really dangerous thing to do - according to what I have read . So now I plan to

1/ put nuc in empty hive ( it is bursting at the seems )
2/ shake the drone laying hive ( 100 metres away )
3/ hope that the flying bees join the new hive.
4/ give the new hive the drone laying hives' stores
5/ leave the drone to die :-(

Will this work - should I do anything else ?

I

 

[Erichalfbee]

If the nuc is a strong one it should be fine.
Don't go 100 metres away, there is no point in that. You are not trying to prevent laying workers flying to the new hive by distance. They will fly there anyway. Laying workers fly! 10 metres is fine. Smoke them well so that they fill up with honey. Tip them into an upturned hive roof. Take the old hive completely away.
Once at the new hive the bees will bribe their way in with their honey. The brood pheromones in the new hive will suppress the laying and those eggs that are laid will be eaten by the housekeeper bees.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If the nuc is a strong one it should be fine.
Don't go 100 metres away, there is no point in that. You are not trying to prevent laying workers flying to the new hive by distance. They will fly there anyway. Laying workers fly! 10 metres is fine. Smoke them well so that they fill up with honey. Tip them into an upturned hive roof. Take the old hive completely away.
Once at the new hive the bees will bribe their way in with their honey. The brood pheromones in the new hive will suppress the laying and those eggs that are laid will be eaten by the housekeeper bees.

Just one thing - best not to put the old colony in the location the shakeout colony has vacated.

 

[Bevbee]

Just one thing - best not to put the old colony in the location the shakeout colony has vacated.

Thank you both,that makes perfect sense.

This forum helps me every time ��