Possible laying workers - help!

[spud]

I carries out an artificial swarm 22nd April. The "swarmed" colony (old queen) is doing fine - laying well. I checked the "parent hive" today hoping to see evidence of a new laying queen but found....

lots of capped drone brood - multiple eggs in cells - mostly at the bottom of the cell but one or two on the side.

The multiple eggs could be a new queen getting the hang of laying BUT upon opening some of the capped drone which was about to hatch I worked out it must have been layed after the artificial swarm but before the new queen could have hatched and been mated leaving me with the conclusion there must have either a DLQ or layng workers all along even though before the artificial swarm when there was (and still is) a perfectly good queen.?

Q1 If there were laying workers or a DLQ would they have allowed a new queen to be raised? (Idid see a couple of Queen Cells shortly after the artificial swarm)

Q2 What do I do now, I do have a queenrite colony (albiet a rather weak one) about 4 yards away, if i was to combine them what would be the best way?

Any thoughts, observations ideas would be really appreciated 

Hope this is'nt too rambling!!

[derrick1p1]

I had to deal with a hive of laying workers this week for the first time.  I opted to do a shake out and combine it with another hive that isn't very strong, but has a laying queen.  Trying to requeen a laying worker hive isn't easy. 

You can try to continue to give them a couple frames of open brood every week or so until they decide to rear a queen.  If you have the brood to spare (it's the lack of brood that causes laying workers, not the lack of queen pheremone as I understand it).  If this doesn't work, you might be back to option one: combine.  There are a few ways to do this. 

I did a shake out several yards away in an overgrown area.  They drifted back to the hive next door.  If this gives you very strong colonies, you can always do a split later.

good luck,
Derrick

[doak]

With an actively laying queen it is doubtful laying workers will develop.
It does take more than a few days for the bees to develop ready to lay.
Possible a drone laying queen.
Unless the bees are queen less, there is no reason for workers to develop in to laying.
On another note, that is why it is hard to re queen a "laying worker" colony.
They consider their selves queen right.

It can take up to 3 weeks for a new queen to get around to laying.
Then, when she starts, she may start erratic patterns, more than one egg to the cell, one on the side of the cell now and again. "and" if she doesn't mate with enough drones, she may become a "drone" layer soon.

When I am sure I had a queen and then a few days later I discover Maybe something happened to her,
Or, she ended up in the wrong colony during a split. I will give time enough to see what happens.

It is no more trouble to deal with a worker laying colony later then it is  earlier.
Only difference is, if it is not laying workers and it is done too soon, you could end up destroying a good would be, queen.
 When I make a split or hive a swarm I do not bother them for at least five "5" days.
You can and need to check the "3rd" day if you gave a caged queen, if you knew they were queen less,
or if it was a split you wanted to have a new queen. Check in 3 days to make sure she is released.
No later than 5 .

I know it is hard to stay out of the boxes. But too much disturbance can be and is upsetting to the bees.

All of a sudden I have laying workers.

My theory is, don't look for problems, just learn to recognize them.

One more thing and I'll hush.
Beekeeping is different from a lot of other things.

It has been said more than once, ( there is no right way or wrong way, but a way that works best for you). This is true with one exception. Don't go into the hive no more than need be.
This Is my story and I'm sticking to it.
Like honey sticks to bread. ;) :) :roll:doak

[annette]

I have been dealing with a laying worker hive for over a month now. Whether or not you actually have a laying worker hive, giving frames of open brood once a week for at least 3 weeks will result in them making a queen.

It finally happened to my laying worker hive, They made 2 queen cells after 3 weeks of receiving open brood.

good luck
Annette