[orangekiosk]

Hey everyone,

Looking around for some advice. Maybe I blew it already. I've got 2 hives with laying workers. 3 or more eggs in each cell, all the brood is drone, and even some eggs in cells that have pollen in them.

I introduced a mated queen into each of those hives. Did I send them in for execution?

When I placed them in the hive they weren't balled up at all.

I just read through Bush's discussion on laying workers and it seems like what I did is kind of a crap shoot, anyone have experience with this?

I would appreciate any advice.

 

[Michael Bush]

>Did I send them in for execution?

Most likely, yes. You could get lucky, but I would not count on it.

 

[orangekiosk]

Michael,

Should I shake bees off, like I've read? I have a queen right single deep that's doing well. Can I just put some news paper in the top of that deep and add the deeps with the laying worker? Haven't had to combine or deal with this before, thanks!

 

[Michael Bush]

>Should I shake bees off, like I've read?

I'm not sure what you've read...
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfallacies.htm#shakingout

If you mean shaking out to get rid of the laying workers, it will not work at all. If you mean shaking out to disorient them to get them to accept a queen, I would say it will up your chances only slightly.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslayingworkers.htm#shakeout

If you mean shaking them out and putting the equipment on the other hives, you will have one less hive but no more laying worker issues.

If it's in you home yard, and you have the time, I'd give them a frame of open brood every week for three weeks.

>I have a queen right single deep that's doing well. Can I just put some news paper in the top of that deep and add the deeps with the laying worker?

It sometimes succeeds. It often fails when the laying workers kill the queen...

> Haven't had to combine or deal with this before, thanks!

Read up:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslayingworkers.htm

 

[franktrujillo]

you can use push in style queen cage using some #8 hardware cloth with some capped brood that's ready to emerge. that will solve your problem