BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER > DOWN UNDER BEEKEEPING

Laying Workers

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max2:
I can deal with them but they are a pain and take work to fix.
It looks to me like they mostly occur this time of the year when a nuc or a walk away split loses a queen and you are not right on top of it.
I had two in the last few weeks  after a long spell without any.
Can anybody see a pattern when they occur?

Michael Bush:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslayingworkers.htm

max2:
Hi Michael,
I do something similar.
I was wondering why  - in the middle of summer here - the bees did not make a new queen? I can understand that late in the season they can't make a new queen.
These small hives had a queen, they had eggs/larvae. Obviously the queen died and I wonder why they did not succedd in making a new queen? I know s..t happens but i wonder if there is a pattern?

My proces to deal with laying Workers this time of the year is simple:
- I make up a few nuc's and give each nuc 3 frames with brood PLUS two frames from the laying worker hive with brood scratched. I shake the bees off some distance from the original hive.
- I place a few frames with open brood and some empty frames in the original laying worker location to catch any returning bees.
It seems to work for me and is using all the available resources.

Brian MCquilkin:

--- Quote from: max2 on January 04, 2021, 12:07:22 am ---I can deal with them but they are a pain and take work to fix.

--- End quote ---
Earlier on in my beekeeping adventures, I wasted new queens and many hours trying to fix laying workers. Now I go for the quick fix. Dump them out on the ground about 10 feet in front of queen right hives and move on.

iddee:
Me, too, Brian.

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