What to do with Laying Worker frames?

simonforeman · Jun 29, 2023

I have a laying worker hive that has some capped drone brood but mainly multiple eggs in the cells. I plan to shake them out

The frames are good condition.

What are my options please to reuse the frames? Do I need to do anything to them before adding to other colonies or nucs?

Hedgerow Honey · Jun 29, 2023

simonforeman said:
I have a laying worker hive that has some capped drone brood but mainly multiple eggs in the cells. I plan to shake them out

The frames are good condition.

What are my options please to reuse the frames? Do I need to do anything to them before adding to other colonies or nucs?

Generally I don't swap frames between colonies, just in case there's a nasty lurking, you would be better to just melt out and start again.

Parsonage Bees · Jun 30, 2023

I've got this issue also. Hoping for more advice.

My first hive was a swarm containing a drone laying queen. Confusing for a beginner. Frames looked great until they were capped and they didn't.

I remember being criticized (rightly) at the time for putting 3-4 frames in the dustbin before requeening.

ericbeaumont · Jun 30, 2023

Parsonage Bees said:
a drone laying queen

Not laying workers? Looks scattery.

simonforeman said:
capped drone brood

Burn them, Simon, and destroy the varroa within. Varroa prefer drone brood for it's longer pupation period.

Parsonage Bees · Jun 30, 2023

ericbeaumont said:
Not laying workers? Looks scattery.

Burn them, Simon, and destroy the varroa within. Varroa prefer drone brood for it's longer pupation period.

My problem today is laying workers. Photo above, DLQ.
Nuc'ed a queen. By the time EQC emerged there were capped drone and large larvae. Now, somehow, I have a laying queen (capped worker brood below QE) AND drone EVERYWHERE. Not sure what I'm going to find next inspection.
Was going to shake them out until I found capped worker brood on 3 frames below QE. Combs are a mess.
I've not messed things up this badly for quite a while.

This a photo from inspection last Friday.