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Author Topic: Laying worker trouble!!!  (Read 11727 times)

Offline annette

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #20 on: April 29, 2008, 06:27:14 pm »
OK dear people,

I just introduced another 2 frames of open brood and eggs to my laying worker hive in the hopes they make a queen. This will be week number 2 of doing this. Today I was very careful and saw the eggs, so I feel really good about this transfer.

Last week when I gave them the frames I did not see eggs, just larvae in various stages of growth. I did not know how to find eggs last week. I just now for the first time since beekeeping have figured out how to find the eggs.  I may give this hive an extra week of open brood just in case I did not give them any eggs last week.

Wish me luck that they make a queen.

The only thing I feel really badly about right now, is I am disturbing my one and only good hive which is making so much honey. I keep taking frames of brood from them when they need to be strong now. It also takes me some time to find the right frame of brood and I had to open up each and every super until I finally found the right frames. I guess they will be fine

Have a great day
Annette

Offline DayValleyDahlias

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #21 on: April 29, 2008, 09:17:38 pm »
Annette,

What is your secret to finding eggs??
 :-D


Offline annette

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #22 on: April 29, 2008, 11:24:25 pm »
I finally focused in on the bottom of the cells and really concentrated by looking and looking at the cells. Take a good look at the laying workers photo I posted here. Blow up the photo as large as possible (if you keep clicking on the picture it blows up very large). Move around the photo until you can see the eggs laying in the cells.

You have to ignore the bees walking around on the comb and just focus.  Let me know how it works out.

Love
Annette

PS. The seedlings are coming up now and I am taking good care of them.

Offline Cindi

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #23 on: April 30, 2008, 09:18:02 am »
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   

Steve, your question has not been answered, and I am curious about this too, maybe someone will answer, I think the question got lost in the posting.  Beautiful and most wonderful day, Cindi

P.S. Modified, Steve, I read Michael's site on the laying worker stuff, read that, there is some really interesting data, and the question that you asked is pretty much dealt with there, and explained so well, MB does such a great job of teaching in the most simplistic manner,  http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslayingworkers.htm, read it, it is good!!!!
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Cindi

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #24 on: April 30, 2008, 09:31:23 am »
The only thing I feel really badly about right now, is I am disturbing my one and only good hive which is making so much honey. I keep taking frames of brood from them when they need to be strong now. It also takes me some time to find the right frame of brood and I had to open up each and every super until I finally found the right frames. I guess they will be fine

Have a great day
Annette

Annette, look at it this way, you are practising swarm control measures and you are learning a wealth of information.  You are becoming a great beekeeper, and you have many skills you are acquiring!!!  Good for you, there is a bright and sunny side to this laying worker business, hee, hee, beautiful day in this beautiful life.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline BMAC

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #25 on: April 30, 2008, 09:39:32 am »
After looking at a bunch of my colonies yesterday I found 3 of my hives with laying workers.

Two of which I already shook out to try and leave the laying workers behind.  So I am going to say good bye to these bees and shake them into a pail of soapy water and re-use the boxes elsewhere.

Something else I found that is interesting is one of my queens is laying multiple eggs in each cell.  I have decided to kill her this afternoon and introduce another queen.

Out of the 50 or so splits I made, only 2 rejected the intorduced queen.
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Offline Cindi

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #26 on: April 30, 2008, 10:02:05 am »
BMAC.  Hold it with killing that queen that is laying multiple eggs.  I remember reading here that sometimes when a queen begins laying for the first time that she will for a short time lay multiple eggs, she will sort that out and be OK.  Just a thought here.  Best of this beautiful and wonderful day, Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline BMAC

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #27 on: April 30, 2008, 10:08:50 am »
BMAC.  Hold it with killing that queen that is laying multiple eggs.  I remember reading here that sometimes when a queen begins laying for the first time that she will for a short time lay multiple eggs, she will sort that out and be OK.  Just a thought here.  Best of this beautiful and wonderful day, Cindi

Nice tip.  I will give her a week before I give her a squish. 

Thanks....
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Offline Cindi

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #28 on: April 30, 2008, 10:23:22 am »
BMAC.  Good, she is probably so full of eggs she can't wait to get rid of the extras, hee, hee, she will probably be your best queen of all, she will show her appreciation of you sparing her life, have that beautiful and most wonderful day, Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline derrick1p1

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #29 on: April 30, 2008, 11:35:20 am »
I've been wondering also about the effects of taking brood from a strong hive to give to a queenless hive.  Although they are strong, this is the time of year that stealing brood may seem detrimental. 

I try to find a bit of sunlight to shine down into the cells when looking for eggs.  Tiny little suckers.  I think I'm going to invest in a magnifying glass.

Derrick
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Offline annette

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #30 on: April 30, 2008, 01:38:07 pm »
I've been wondering also about the effects of taking brood from a strong hive to give to a queenless hive.  Although they are strong, this is the time of year that stealing brood may seem detrimental. 

I try to find a bit of sunlight to shine down into the cells when looking for eggs.  Tiny little suckers.  I think I'm going to invest in a magnifying glass.

Derrick

Perhaps you will have better luck with the magnifying glass then I did. I still cannot see anything unless the sun shines into the cells, and at that point you cannot use a magnifying glass because you will fry the eggs. Maybe a very large magnifying glass would work. It did not work for me.

Let me know if it works for you.
Annette

Offline golddust-twins

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #31 on: April 30, 2008, 02:07:08 pm »
Annette,  Thank you so much for posting this dilema.  I too have been having some problems with my hive since January.  In the Fall I had a gut feeling to requeen then but did not.  Your dilema has answered many questions.  I think my hive may be queenless or close to it.  The girls have been drawing supercedure cells like crazy.  I will be getting 3 nucs and 1 queen next week.  I was going to split this hive this Spring.  Plans have changed.

Thanks again,
Corinne
PS  Sorry you are having such problems with you hive.

Offline annette

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #32 on: April 30, 2008, 02:22:10 pm »
Hi Corinne

Thanks for your response. Well, if they are drawing supercedure cells, you are in luck.  At least they will make a queen.


Offline golddust-twins

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #33 on: April 30, 2008, 02:34:12 pm »
Thanks Annette,

I am hoping they will draw a new queen before she is gone.  The hives disposition sure has changed this spring.  The bees are more defensive. 

Thanks again,
Corinne

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #34 on: May 01, 2008, 07:56:34 am »
The younger the brood the less stress it is for the bees.  Eggs are very little investment.  Capped brood is a huge investment.  For an egg they fed a little pollen and honey to a queen (after they processed it into royal jelly).  For a capped brood cell they burned a cell of pollen, a cell of honey and a cell of water.
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Offline BMAC

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #35 on: May 01, 2008, 08:34:19 am »
Well I did the deed for my laying workers last night.  I shoot them all and killed them.  revocered the boxes and placed them on other needed colonies.
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Offline Cindi

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #36 on: May 01, 2008, 10:25:57 am »
BMAC, now you are just plain and simply brutal, hee, hee,  ;) :) :) :).  Good that you dealt with that issue, things will be well, have that wonderful and awesome day, Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Scadsobees

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #37 on: May 01, 2008, 10:39:13 am »
Well I did the deed for my laying workers last night.  I shoot them all and killed them.  revocered the boxes and placed them on other needed colonies.

That is a lot of .22 shells.  Or did you go with something bigger? :-P
Rick

Offline BMAC

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #38 on: May 01, 2008, 11:30:25 am »
Well I did the deed for my laying workers last night.  I shoot them all and killed them.  revocered the boxes and placed them on other needed colonies.

That is a lot of .22 shells.  Or did you go with something bigger? :-P

Yeah.  It was bigger than a .22, but worry not.  I reload all my own ammo.  Except for the .22 anyway. 

I meant to type in shook them but seeing how I was killing something you can see what popped into my head first.
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Offline Kathyp

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Re: Laying worker trouble!!!
« Reply #39 on: May 01, 2008, 02:32:09 pm »
another way to find eggs, especially for us older folks, is to take pictures of your frames as you inspect.  you'll see the eggs later when you look at the pictures.  this was an idea from cindi ages ago, and it is great.
not only will you see the eggs, but you'll spot other things that you missed when you were in the hive.  you'll also have a record that you can compare from inspection to inspection.  if you mark the frames, you'll be able to identify which you have photographed.  a sharpie does the trick.
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