Annette,
What was your decision on this matter. I am on my third week of giving my laying worker hive eggs and open brood and still no queen cell. I am wondering if I am waisting my time and brood by doing this :'( :-\.
thanks,
Corinne
I am going to follow Michael Bush's suggestion and combine the laying worker hive on top of the strong queenright hive. First I will bring the laying worker hive down to one medium super (I use all mediums) and before placing it on top of my strong hive, I will place a screen between the two hives. I have top and bottom entrances so the laying worker hive will have the needed entrance. Leave it alone for 1 week to let the 2 hives get used to each other and to suppress the laying workers. After the week, I will shake each and every frame onto the ground in front of the queenright hive and hopefully they will all just walk on in. I just want to save each and every bee and that is why I will do it this way.
I always like to ask for lots of opinions from beekeepers if I am unsure of what I am doing, but utimately, I always have to choose a way that feels right for me.
Wish me luck as I will do this this coming week.
Good luck to you as well Corinne. Regarding your hive, though, I would give them another chance and make sure you let them get through the 3rd week and then check if they have made queen cells. After, that it is up to you. Brian Bray says it takes 5 times of giving them open brood, Michael Bush says 3 times. I would continue with the open brood, but we are having a terrible drought here and the bees are hardly making any honey and I just feel it might be better to have one less hive to have to feed. At least my strong hive is making some honey for themselves. If I let my laying worker hive go any longer, they will never have time to build up and make honey for themselves.
Annette