My hive went Queenless a while back and I was talking to Robo and he seen this on the enternet told me to take a look at it I couldn't see it good enough to copy it so he did it for me and it worked for me I looked in the hive yesterday and had full frames of brood have never seen that before :-D(http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/5741/picture62xe5.th.jpg) (http://img367.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture62xe5.jpg)(http://img367.imageshack.us/images/thpix.gif%5B/I%5BURL=http://img237.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture63wm5.jpg%5D%5BIMG%5Dhttp://img237.imageshack.us/img237/4327/picture63wm5.th.jpg) (http://g.imageshack.us/thpix.php)(http://img237.imageshack.us/images/thpix.gif) (http://g.imageshack.us/thpix.php)MG][/URL]
so what is that? it looks like a very shallow frame with a queen cage off to the side.
It's a cage that the queen can run around in and they can't kill her and then her pheromone can over power the laying worker pheromone and they get rid of the laying worker screen on both sides here is the top(http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/4956/picture63ew0.th.jpg) (http://img360.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture63ew0.jpg)(http://img360.imageshack.us/images/thpix.gif) (http://g.imageshack.us/thpix.php)
Is this the laying worker eliminator that i've seen on ebay?
Ok, I really would like to know more about that. Robo, is that on your site anywhere? If not could we get a small explaination??? I understand the concept. That is pure genius.....
F
Quote from: Frantz on September 28, 2008, 04:59:33 PM
Ok, I really would like to know more about that. Robo, is that on your site anywhere?
The directions I put together for Irwin are in the download section.
http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/beekeeping/downloads/
Quote
If not could we get a small explaination???
Irwin was in the precarious position that a lot of beginners fall into. He only had one hive, it went queen-less, and it appeared there was a laying worker. Only having one hive eliminated the option of giving it eggs/brood from another hive. So I made Irwin aware of the laying worker eliminator on eBay. I suggested he try to build one because I think the price is a little steep. He wasn't certain of how it worked, so I offered to build him one because I hated the thought of him spending the $30+ for something so simple to build. The idea is to confine the queen in the hive with room for her to move and not be pulled apart by the bees. They will feed her and after a couple of weeks in the hive, they will dispose of the laying worker and accept her.Quote
I understand the concept. That is pure genius.....
I can't take credit for the idea, I learned about it from eBay, but Irwin proved it's success!
so i wonder if theres a patent on that?
Quote from: randydrivesabus on September 28, 2008, 06:48:44 PM
so i wonder if theres a patent on that?
I doubt it, it is a niche item and the volumes wouldn't justify the cost of a patent or defending it. Besides, it is simple enough for a lot of folks to build.
many variations can simply be made from hardware cloth -been around for years- novel design though http://www.betterbee.com/products.asp?dept=644 8-) RDY-B
Don't waste your money on the plastic one from betterbee. The plastic "pins" don't hold it in the comb very well and the bees just chew the wax out around it and tunnel under it. I used it twice and the queens were killed both times. Your much better off making one out of hardware cloth and burying it deep into the comb so they can't tunnel under it. The frame type one is nice for beginners because you don't have to move the queen from the shipping cage into the introduction cage. Just slip the shipping cage in and let her migrate on her own.
yep but i still like the idea of the queen laying to gan acceptance- 8-) RDY-B
Michael Bush has a good guide to building an push in cage on his website. I made a couple of them and they work very well. But you need sealed brood to place it over. and you have to release the queen from whatever other cage she may be in and get her into the push in cage.
Quote from: rdy-b on September 28, 2008, 08:20:29 PM
yep but i still like the idea of the queen laying to gan acceptance- 8-) RDY-B
Absolutely, but a lot of beginners don't feel comfortable getting the queen from the shipping cage into the intro cage, this gives them an alternative.
There is more than one one to skin a cat...... :)
Quote from: Robo on September 28, 2008, 08:56:31 PM
Absolutely, but a lot of beginners don't feel comfortable getting the queen from the shipping cage into the intro cage, this gives them an alternative.
There is more than one one to skin a cat...... :)
This post is from Becky.
There is ALSO more than one WAY to skin a cat! ;)
Irwin, I am really glad that it has worked out for you. I was wondering what you did.
Robo, that was really good of you to do that.
Rick
Irwin - Glad you got it worked out. I know I would have been clueless.
Robo- What a great thing for you to do for a fellow Beek.
Thanks for taking the time to explain and give the directions.
F
Quote from: rast on September 28, 2008, 09:23:45 PM
Irwin, I am really glad that it has worked out for you. I was wondering what you did.
Robo, that was really good of you to do that.
Rick
I just knew Rob was good for something! Hey Rob :-* ;) :-D
...JP
Quote from: Robo on September 28, 2008, 06:38:50 PM
The idea is to confine the queen in the hive with room for her to move and not be pulled apart by the bees. They will feed her and after a couple of weeks in the hive, they will dispose of the laying worker and accept her.
Will not the pheromone scent of the queen become weak after two weeks without laying eggs, in addition to the time she has not been laying while she is being sent from the supplier? Will this not become a problem (I got curious about this device since I had a laying worker problem this year myself).
the first pic is kind of fuzy-but i think there is a piece of comb inside 8-) RDY-B
Is this #8 wire --- what size do you need. I know they can get through (workers) #5. Is #6 small enough for a push in cage?
i used #8. #6 may be too big. #7 would probably be OK.
Sorry about the fuzzy pic's all I have is a web cam. RDY-B there was no comb inside Don't know about the screen size but is small it's the same size as my hood.
YEA YEA know i see it :) thats the palm of your hand -i gueese if you build it with a small piece of comb in there then you could never get the queen out off from the comb without taking it apart-glad that you are up and running RDY-B
(I found this page referred in another laying worker post and this seemed the better place to follow up)
just out of curiosity, - what happens to the laying worker(s)?
are they ejected from the hive?
do they return to their role of scout, forager, gatherer etc. etc.?
Continues to lay :?
http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,21338.msg162654.html#msg162654
IF you caged the queen underneath #8 wire on an empty comb laying eggs, in a laying worker, broodless colony, would this not create a problem before two weeks because the brood could not be feed without moving the cage to another location for the worker bees to have access? I understand if you have brood to place it over the workers may emerge and attend the queen etc.
Wow- I have never heard of this. It's wonderful to know. :)
sc-bee, If I understand your question correctly, you are thinking there is comb in the cage. There is not, just a larger cage for the queen to move around in until you release her. You remove one frame and drop this in. I made one "just in case" and used it one time for a new queen introduction just playing around with it. When I lifted it out, you could tell the bees on the outside were feeding her instead of biting at her.
If I misunderstood, sorry. I'm sure someone will answer that does.
Rick
>yep but i still like the idea of the queen laying to gan acceptance- cool RDY-B
>sc-bee, If I understand your question correctly, you are thinking there is comb in the cage. There is not, just a larger cage for the queen to move around in until you release her. You remove one frame and drop this in.
Someone mentioned putting her on comb to lay eggs ---- was wondering about eggs hatching and not being able to be accessed by workers. Guess it would have to be over brood?