If you have another box you c an put the swarm in it and let them get organized for a few days. Shake the bees off some of that bad brood and give it to the swarm to anchor them. Shake the bees off some of the other combs too. In a couple days do your shake out and put the frames in the swarms hive just as you planned. The doomed colonies bees will beg there way in and will be prevented from harming the queen.
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The fastest way to suppress laying workers is to take away any place to lay. This means removing any open comb.
This is what I would do in your situation. (It kind of depends on how big the swarm is and how big the laying worker hive is.) I assume since you mentioned it is a small swarm a sudden combine would likely overwhelm the swarm colony.
Move the laying worker hive onto a cart and place a new hive body on the bottom board in the original location.
Put one frame of brood from another hive in the center. Be sure all cells are filled with brood or/& feed so the is no place for laying workers to continue to lay.
Add all new, undrawn frames to fill the remainder of the box.
Now shake the bees into the newly reassembled hive. No need to shake them on the ground. Use another hive body to direct the bees into the hive if you wish. A quick shake and then light brushing gets them all off the old frames. There is no place for laying workers to lay..not even one egg. The colony now immediatly focuses on rearing the brood and drawing new comb.
Once the bees are back in the hive & most flying has stopped, top with a double screened inner cover. Place another hive body on top that and install your swarm..on drawn frames if you have them, with a frame of brood & feed too if you have one to spare.
Do NOT use the frames from the laying worker hive. You must chill or freeze them to kill all the eggs and larva, or they will continue to grow and will ruin your good worker sized cells. After chilling overnight, you can safely use them again. The bees will clean out the dead larva. If the drone cells are already enlarged your only option is to scrape them off or let chickens clean them up for you.
Let your new combo-mentally retarded bees below and new swarm above- live together/but separated by the screen for a week, then combine. You'll probably find you have a thriving colony with no issues. They have a new leader and everyone knows their job once again.
Below you see what I mean by using a hive body to direct shaken & brushed bees back into the hive. (This is a starter colony I"m freshening) but you get the idea
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Best way to simply rectify a laying worker hive is a frame of brood and a capped queen cell. But you still have to take away any & chill frames that have been laid up with drone brood.
You don't want your new queen having to lay in frames that look like this.
![]()
I also use this screen divided method for introducing mated queens from mating nucs to larger colonies. Queenless colony below, just enough frames above with the new queen, brood & bees to support her and keep brood warm. I give them about a week with their own upper entrance, then remove the screen and combine. Workes like a charm and keep the queen laying the whole time. (See the green disk? Got to love them, you can see them from a mile away. Don't judge her by the brood pattern. The good brood was left back in the mating nuc with a new cell)
![]()
Most of my inner covers are screened so it is easy to combine hives when I want to. They are some of my favorite home made equipment.
![]()
This is what I would do in your situation. (It kind of depends on how big the swarm is and how big the laying worker hive is.) I assume since you mentioned it is a small swarm a sudden combine would likely overwhelm the swarm colony.
Move the laying worker hive onto a cart and place a new hive body on the bottom board in the original location.
Put one frame of brood from another hive in the center. Be sure all cells are filled with brood or/& feed so the is no place for laying workers to continue to lay.
Add all new, undrawn frames to fill the remainder of the box.
Now shake the bees into the newly reassembled hive. No need to shake them on the ground. Use another hive body to direct the bees into the hive if you wish. A quick shake and then light brushing gets them all off the old frames. There is no place for laying workers to lay..not even one egg. The colony now immediatly focuses on rearing the brood and drawing new comb.
Once the bees are back in the hive & most flying has stopped, top with a double screened inner cover. Place another hive body on top that and install your swarm..on drawn frames if you have them, with a frame of brood & feed too if you have one to spare.
Do NOT use the frames from the laying worker hive. You must chill or freeze them to kill all the eggs and larva, or they will continue to grow and will ruin your good worker sized cells. After chilling overnight, you can safely use them again. The bees will clean out the dead larva. If the drone cells are already enlarged your only option is to scrape them off or let chickens clean them up for you.
Let your new combo-mentally retarded bees below and new swarm above- live together/but separated by the screen for a week, then combine. You'll probably find you have a thriving colony with no issues. They have a new leader and everyone knows their job once again.
Below you see what I mean by using a hive body to direct shaken & brushed bees back into the hive. (This is a starter colony I"m freshening) but you get the idea
Best way to simply rectify a laying worker hive is a frame of brood and a capped queen cell. But you still have to take away any & chill frames that have been laid up with drone brood.
You don't want your new queen having to lay in frames that look like this.
I also use this screen divided method for introducing mated queens from mating nucs to larger colonies. Queenless colony below, just enough frames above with the new queen, brood & bees to support her and keep brood warm. I give them about a week with their own upper entrance, then remove the screen and combine. Workes like a charm and keep the queen laying the whole time. (See the green disk? Got to love them, you can see them from a mile away. Don't judge her by the brood pattern. The good brood was left back in the mating nuc with a new cell)
Most of my inner covers are screened so it is easy to combine hives when I want to. They are some of my favorite home made equipment.
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