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Author Topic: Laying worker trouble!!!  (Read 11730 times)

Offline annette

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Laying worker trouble!!!
« on: April 27, 2008, 03:33:28 pm »
OK it looks like the mystery of this troublesome hive has been solved. I have tried to requeen them and that did not work. (they killed the queen in the cage). Finally took some photos and blew them up on the computer. Multiple eggs, not in the center and not in the bottom of the cell.

Laying worker!!!!  So I will be introducing for about 3 weeks, a frame of open brood every week in the hopes they start to understand that they should make a queen.

Wish me luck. Guess I could lose this hive if they do not get it.

Annette





« Last Edit: April 27, 2008, 07:39:57 pm by annette »

Offline UtahBees

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #1 on: April 27, 2008, 05:27:56 pm »
Good luck! I'm glad all of you have posted advice on this, in case I ever need help. Upload some of those photos so we can see!!

Offline annette

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #2 on: April 27, 2008, 07:43:40 pm »
OK you got it. I believe the first photo is the best. And open it up as large as you can to see the multiple eggs. When I looked at this frame in the sun, it looked like the eggs were right in the middle and in the bottom of the cell. Only when placed on the computer can you really see the truth that they are not in the middle and not on the bottom.

Annette

Offline UtahBees

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #3 on: April 27, 2008, 08:23:24 pm »
Oh wow! Beautiful photos, terrible laying pattern. You're 100% correct! Not like there was a question on that anyways ;)

Thanks for sharing the photos, and good luck on getting that worked out soon.

Scott

Online Michael Bush

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #4 on: April 27, 2008, 08:33:47 pm »
I'd give them a frame of open brood a week for three weeks.  That usually fixes things.
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Offline asprince

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #5 on: April 27, 2008, 08:36:13 pm »
Good luck, I had this trouble with a hive last year. I finely had to shake them out of the hive in front of my other hives forcing them to find a new hive.

Since then I have been doing some thinking.....dangerous. If you put a queen rite hive on top of the hive with the laying workers (double screen between them) would that fool them into believing they two were also queen rite?

Steve   
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Offline annette

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #6 on: April 27, 2008, 08:57:07 pm »
I believe there is something like this on Michael Bush's web page regarding  solving the problems of the laying worker hive.

To begin with I will just keep introducing the frame of open brood every week and see if that works.

Offline JP

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #7 on: April 27, 2008, 09:03:05 pm »
Yep, looks like multiples on the sides of the cells. Laying worker to me. Good luck Annette.


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Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #8 on: April 27, 2008, 10:28:12 pm »
If, a week after the 3rd frame is installed and you still see no sighs of queens cells it is time to shake out the hive and install another frame of brood, after that do a combine with the laying worker hive above.
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Offline annette

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #9 on: April 28, 2008, 05:35:49 pm »
If, a week after the 3rd frame is installed and you still see no sighs of queens cells it is time to shake out the hive and install another frame of brood, after that do a combine with the laying worker hive above.

I am not sure I understand what you are saying Brian. OK I understand the first part about waiting up to 4 weeks after introducing the open brood, but then when you say shake out the hive, do you mean shake them out far away from the original location and then place the hive back in the original location. I have heard this before that the nurse bees will end up on the ground and cannot find their way home, while the foragers will return to the original hive.

But what do you mean by combining with the laying worker hive???

Annette

Offline doak

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #10 on: April 28, 2008, 06:56:42 pm »
I have always herd it is best to take them 50-75 or maybe 100 feet away from the location to shake them.
The laying workers are to heavy to fly and will not return.

What I've herd. :roll:
doak

Offline BMAC

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #11 on: April 28, 2008, 07:55:43 pm »
I shook 2 laying worker colonies this spring just as Doak described.  I am waiting for all eggs to hatch prior to checking on them again and putting in a new queen.
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Offline DayValleyDahlias

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #12 on: April 28, 2008, 08:05:02 pm »
Oh wow Annette,

How frustrating, this is one of my biggest fears...laying workers...hope this time is the charm for you and the hive!

Offline Kev

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #13 on: April 28, 2008, 08:48:02 pm »
I had that trouble last year. Brendhan's advice: dump them all out 100 yards or more from the hive.

I did that and then combined with a nuc. Worked wonders. no trouble after that

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Online Michael Bush

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #14 on: April 28, 2008, 09:03:29 pm »
I have combined and gotten away with it, but I've also seen it end up queenless.  I've never seen a shake out resolve the problem.  The two sure methods are to move all the equipment and shake them all out on the ground and give the equipment to other hives.  The bees will drift.  Or a frame of brood every week for three weeks.  Everything else is iffy.

But here's a list of everything I ever got to work:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslayingworkers.htm


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Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #15 on: April 29, 2008, 01:05:30 am »
The further away you can shake out the hive the better, in the city it might have to be done in the front yard when bees are in the back yard.  At my place I'd shake them out down by the barn which is close to 100 yards away from the bee yard.
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Offline annette

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #16 on: April 29, 2008, 01:11:30 am »
Oh wow Annette,

How frustrating, this is one of my biggest fears...laying workers...hope this time is the charm for you and the hive!

Thanks Sharon,

For some reason I am taking this very calm and peaceful. I will try to do the best I can for the hive, then surrender.

Take care
annette

Offline annette

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #17 on: April 29, 2008, 01:12:49 am »
The further away you can shake out the hive the better, in the city it might have to be done in the front yard when bees are in the back yard.  At my place I'd shake them out down by the barn which is close to 100 yards away from the bee yard.

OK Brian, Thanks also for the info. Hopefully I will not get to this point.

annette

Offline Scadsobees

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #18 on: April 29, 2008, 10:16:01 am »
If you happen to have another hive or possibly a queen cell from somewhere, you could try putting that in there(after spraying with some sugar water).  I had some luck with that.
Rick

Offline annette

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #19 on: April 29, 2008, 01:35:49 pm »
That would be a great scenario, but unfortunately, my only other hive (I have only 2) is doing great right now and no queen cells.

Thanks for the response
Annette

 

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