[Hibs06]

Well...4th year beekeeper here and it looks like for the first time I've had a split not create a queen and thus I have laying workers in a hive.

Here's my question:

I have other hives I did not split this year. Can I simply take the frames out of the hive with laying workers and do a completely new split with a hive I had not split this year? Assuming yes, but since this is new to me I thought I'd ask.

Cheers!
Brad

 

[aran]

Well...4th year beekeeper here and it looks like for the first time I've had a split not create a queen and thus I have laying workers in a hive.

Here's my question:

I have other hives I did not split this year. Can I simply take the frames out of the hive with laying workers and do a completely new split with a hive I had not split this year? Assuming yes, but since this is new to me I thought I'd ask.

Cheers!
Brad

i have dealt with this problem a couple times now over the last 5 years.
I take the frames out and shake the bees off in the grass in front of my other hives then move the original laying worker hive somewhere else in the apiary.
I then take a split from my other hives and put that split in the now empty laying workers hive. I use the frames ( minus the shaken off bees) from the laying worker hive to put back into the hives from where i stole the brood/bees/feed frames for the new split.

trying to fix a laying worker hives is a royal PITA. Easiest to shake the **** bees out and start again.

 

[Hibs06]

Thank you Aran,

This is the approach I was/am going to take. Happy to hear what I was thinking is what you suggested.

Cheers!
Brad

i have dealt with this problem a couple times now over the last 5 years.
I take the frames out and shake the bees off in the grass in front of my other hives then move the original laying worker hive somewhere else in the apiary.
I then take a split from my other hives and put that split in the now empty laying workers hive. I use the frames ( minus the shaken off bees) from the laying worker hive to put back into the hives from where i stole the brood/bees/feed frames for the new split.

trying to fix a laying worker hives is a royal PITA. Easiest to shake the **** bees out and start again.