[Capricorn]

Hey all. I've been limping along a weak split that turned laying worker on me. I was hoping they would raise their own queen. I moved them from a deep down into a nuc recently, and left the deep out and open for them, a few were hanging around it. I then did a bunch of maintenance on my strong hive. After closing up the strong hive I notice that there are about 50 bees fanning on a frame in the now empty deep. So I pulled the frame and looked, and couldn't see a queen. So I put it back. An hour later, still fanning, so I pull it and look, and can't see a queen again, put it back.... I thought I should add these to the nuc.. then an hour later, no fanning in the deep, a few guys fanning near the nuc entrance. Did I for sure have a queen there?

 

[Capricorn]

Anyone know?

 

[honeyman46408]

Yes they think they have a queen

 

[Capricorn]

Cool thanks for the heads up. When I moved them to the nuc I pulled a frame of eggs and larva from my strong hive, so maybe it will get them going. I'm guessing the laying worker was in the bunch, I think I might have seen it. Should have pinched it maybe I definitely couldn't find anything that looked like a queen though..

 

[fish_stix]

Capricorn; do a search for laying workers. There is never just one, but many. In fact every hive, queenless or not, has some laying workers. They're usually kept under control by the bees when they have a laying queen.

 

[Capricorn]

Hey fish, I've read that before. I just wasn't sure about the fanning behavior.. I'm hoping they'll raise a queen. It'd be a first for me

 

[Michael Bush]

Bees that are fanning are usually fanning nasanov, not QMP. They are the source of the Nasonov, not the queen. And often they do it hoping to guide the queen home, not the other way around...