Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: bcooper on August 13, 2012, 03:45:37 pm

Title: queen less hive
Post by: bcooper on August 13, 2012, 03:45:37 pm

If I have a queen less hive, with a laying worker, could I use these bees to raise some grafted queen cells without removing the laying worker?

Title: Re: queen less hive
Post by: Hemlock on August 13, 2012, 05:51:51 pm

No.

Those eggs are all drones.  You have two problems; Queenless, Laying worker.  Laying workers are a big problem but cam be fixed a few different ways.  Best bet is to go read about laying workers over at Bush Farms (Click here  (http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslayingworkers.htm))

*Just realized i misread that question big time.  Please ignore the above*

Is it a regular sized hive? or a nuc?  It would be a shame to lose a good sized hive to laying workers. 

Title: Re: queen less hive
Post by: bcooper on August 13, 2012, 07:22:24 pm

It is just a small nuc, I had a graft bar in the hive to allow cleaning prior to grafting.  Weather kept me from getting to it until today, only 72 hrs since I installed it. But I noticed several eggs in a couple cell cups. I grafted only 5 cups anyway just to see what would happen.  There are nurse bees and with brood honey and pollen on the other 4 frames. what are your thoughts now? Thanks

Title: Re: queen less hive
Post by: duck on August 13, 2012, 09:18:46 pm

i would say yeah they will get to work on em.  But im no queen rearing expert.  I would think they would take care of any larvae you put in there.

Title: Re: queen less hive
Post by: bcooper on August 13, 2012, 09:30:57 pm

Well I checked them after about 6 hours and they seem to be doing just what the doctor ordered. Now I wonder if they will try to raise a queen cell from one of the eggs (after it hatches ) that the worker placed there. Which we know won't work