Laying worker question

Started by LKBruns, June 22, 2017, 09:27:56 PM

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LKBruns

If I have a laying worker hive can I place it over a queen right hive with brood (using a double screen shim in between hives with entrances opposite each other).  Will this suppress the laying workers to accept a queen after 14 days or so,

RC

Not usually. Take the hive away from its spot and shake the bees out on the ground. Put the empty hive away. The bees will beg their way into other hives.
Don't waste much time on a laying worker hive. It's very seldom that you'll have any success.

BeeMaster2

Put the laying worker hive over the queen right hive and get them used to the location. Then when they are oriented, take the laying worker hive away, on the other side of your property and take it apart and shake out the bees. The bees will return to the q r hive and the laying workers will not be allowed in.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

little john

I agree with what's already been posted.  It might work ... but the odds are not great, and in the meanwhile the resources being used could be more usefully employed starting-up a new colony.

My approach would be to dump-out the colony, replace all but one of the combs after culling as many drone cells as possible, and replace the box on it's old stand. Then after the foragers have begun to return, insert a comb of BIAS (Brood In All Stages - without bees) taken from a queenright colony.  The youngest of the foragers will revert to nurse bees and begin feeding the larvae within the open cells.  In a couple of days, remove that comb, shake-off the bees, remove any queen cells which may have been started, and return it to the donor hive. Take a second comb of BIAS, shake-off the bees, and donate it permanently to the 'problem hive', when - with luck and a following wind - the bees will then draw good quality queen cells from the youngest larvae.

Or - use Jim's idea if you don't want to start another colony.

LJ
A Heretics Guide to Beekeeping - http://heretics-guide.atwebpages.com