Laying workers, a great example

Cindi · October 05, 2008, 02:38:30 PM

If I am not mistaken, this colony had a whole whack of laying workers, that colony does not now exist. I dumped the bees here there and everywhere. But....they decided to gather on a fence post. So, I gave them back a box, gathered all of them and put them back in the box. I thought for surely that they would all perish without any new brood being laid. This was quite some time ago, near to a month. But when I checked this colony on Friday before we left for my Daughter's home, they were working on the south side of the box. Perhaps there was a new queen that had begun to lay, but had laid multiple eggs, which brought me to think it was laying workers. Time will tell that tale, I will check for the queen when I return. These lessons of life we don't or do learn, I am always learning. It makes for exciting times. Have that most wonderful and awesome day, Cindi

Oh yes, they decided that fencepost was the perfect spot to live....

Shawn · October 05, 2008, 03:47:10 PM

Great pictures. Hope everything works out.

poka-bee · October 05, 2008, 03:51:29 PM

:shock: Oh my! Hopefully they will get their act together! J.

JP · October 05, 2008, 04:51:55 PM

Cindi, hard to tell from the pics, but laying workers can't get the eggs all the way to the bottom of the cell like queens can, if they are all the way at the bottom then the eggs could very well have been from a new queen.

Lots of drones are a give away as well. I would be willing to bet what's on the post has a queen.

Great pics!!

...JP

Pond Creek Farm · October 05, 2008, 06:22:48 PM

JP: Why so many eggs in the cells? Do new queens do this? I have never encountered a laying worker situation nor have I had opportunity to observe a new queen, so I have no way to know the difference.

Michael Bush · October 05, 2008, 09:08:44 PM

I've seen new queens lay doubles and even triples on occasion. The top picture is clearly laying workers.

Nelly · October 05, 2008, 09:58:28 PM

I have also read that workers will have eggs attached to the side of the cell, not all the way down, as they can't reach their abdomens down that far. Hard to say for sure, this looks like either a very new, inexperienced queen, or workers laying. Better have a good look around for a queen hiding in there! If you have a huge rash of new drone brood in a few days, you'll know it's workers.

Nelly

Nelly

annette · October 06, 2008, 01:39:32 AM

Very strange indeed. My laying worker hive had multiple eggs on the sides of the cells, not directly in the bottom.

Curious to find out what this ends up being.

Annette

Cindi · October 06, 2008, 10:18:53 AM

Hmmm...great thoughts here, these eggs were definitely on the bottom of the cells. This was the colony that I had made two cut down splits from, they were so big and had every intention of swarming two times. When I return home, when the weather is good, I will check this colony for queenright. There does seem to be an awful lot of eggs for it to have been a new queen laying, but then, hey, one never knows about anything that can happen. Beautiful and most wonderful day, Cindi

Irwin · October 06, 2008, 11:21:46 AM

Could it be an unmated queen :? but could she lay egg with out being mated

JP · October 06, 2008, 02:44:10 PM

Quote from: Irwin on October 06, 2008, 11:21:46 AM
Could it be an unmated queen :? but could she lay egg with out being mated

Irwin, an unmated queen would be a drone layer.

...JP

Irwin · October 06, 2008, 03:59:56 PM

Brian D. Bray · October 06, 2008, 08:54:15 PM

Quote from: Michael Bush on October 05, 2008, 09:08:44 PM
I've seen new queens lay doubles and even triples on occasion. The top picture is clearly laying workers.

Laying on the sides or bottoms off the cells also has to do with cell depth, it the cells or shallow or had been decapped for extraction, then placed back into a hive it is possible for even a laying worker to lay eggs at the bottom of the cell. I agree with MB.