Pic---Laying Worker(s) ???

sc-bee · March 25, 2015, 12:25:58 AM

I swiped this off a forum page. What do you vote laying worker or young queen gone wild:) Eggs seem to be at the bottom of cells but look at how many. Look at eggs on top of pollen.
I vote laying workers. There is a heavy debate on the forum about it. Anyway good teaching photo.

hjon71 · March 25, 2015, 03:24:00 AM

I vote new queen.

BeeMaster2 · March 25, 2015, 05:33:53 AM

Way too many eggs, I count as many as 7 in one cell as well as they are laid on top of pollen. It looks like laying workers. I suspect the depth of the cells is not as deep as normal, allowing the workers abdomen to reach the bottom of the cell.
A new queen may lay 2 or sometimes 3 eggs in a cell, I doubt that she would lay on pollen.
Jim

sc-bee · March 25, 2015, 06:34:40 AM

My thought too Jim, cells look shallow.....hard to tell in a pic but I think cells are not normal brood depth.

iddee · March 25, 2015, 08:27:28 AM

Laying workers. A new queen gets some right, and some wrong. Not all wrong. Also, sawdstmakr hit it with "A new queen may lay 2 or sometimes 3 eggs in a cell, I doubt that she would lay on pollen."

tireman · March 25, 2015, 08:48:33 AM

This is a great pic. My hive that I'm questioning has more single eggs than multiples. Thanks for the info.

sc-bee · March 25, 2015, 09:46:40 AM

Quote from: tireman on March 25, 2015, 08:48:33 AM
This is a great pic. My hive that I'm questioning has more single eggs than multiples. Thanks for the info.

I agree more singles than multiples for a new queen. I just thought it was a good picture to give thoughts on and did not want to hi-jack tiremans thread.

capt44 · March 25, 2015, 09:55:41 AM

I have a lot of folks ask how I know there is a laying worker.
I saved this photo so I can show it to them.
Good photo.

tireman · March 25, 2015, 10:53:31 AM

Quote from: sc-bee on March 25, 2015, 09:46:40 AM
Quote from: tireman on March 25, 2015, 08:48:33 AM
This is a great pic. My hive that I'm questioning has more single eggs than multiples. Thanks for the info.

I agree more singles than multiples for a new queen. I just thought it was a good picture to give thoughts on and did not want to hi-jack tiremans thread.

Sc-bee I would rather have too many responses than none at all. I'm a second year beek so hijack away. I have much to learn. Thanks for the info.

sc-bee · March 25, 2015, 12:19:54 PM

Of course you may want to call this picture an over exaggeration of sorts. There in most likely multiple laying workers here in a hive that has been queenless for a while. I have never seen one this bad before....I have heard said all hives have laying workers even the queenright ones. The hive just keeps them under control.

Michael Bush · March 25, 2015, 12:52:00 PM

Laying workerS (thousands of them). Too many eggs for a queen. Eggs on pollen. Classic laying worker signs.
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslayingworkers.htm

D Coates · March 25, 2015, 05:33:08 PM

Eggs on pollen as a sign of a laying worker. I've never seen that with a laying worker, but never looked for it either. It's completely logical as a tell tail sign. I learn something every day

rdy-b · March 26, 2015, 02:22:31 AM

Dont try to over think whats going on in your hives-if you are just starting out then follow the wisdom of the
hive (this takes time and grows with each season )-for instance the brood that hatches out is going to be your indicator----perhaps its a quakmeyer of a fresh start queen --or --drone layer--But if you are well on your way to driving your hive in the direction you want it to go--then consider
problem QUEEN- weather she is a laying worker or a spastic fresh start--WHAT the HIVE NEEDS is a insertion
of two frames of open brood this is almost undisputed as a proper litmus test as to why the colony is in this state
--brood pheromone- inhibits worker bees from ovary production--so thats how the colony keeps laying works
at a miamum-whats relay going on is a great tool to learn by--

RDY-B

sc-bee · March 26, 2015, 09:39:53 AM

Of course you could wait till the brood is capped and see if there are any workers. That and of course look harder for a queen if she is there to determine a drone layer. I guess the need of immediate action would also be determined by hive .

Insert a couple frames of brood, ... you think a couple wold do it? Maybe a couple several times? Would all the workers laying present not suppress the drawing of a queen cell?

Michael Bush · March 26, 2015, 10:00:05 AM

>Insert a couple frames of brood, ... you think a couple wold do it? Maybe a couple several times? Would all the workers laying present not suppress the drawing of a queen cell?

One frame. Every week. For three weeks.
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslayingworkers.htm#successful
http://www.bushfarms.com/beespanacea.htm

>Would all the workers laying present not suppress the drawing of a queen cell?

Yes. But once they are set back by the open brood pheromones they will not.
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslayingworkers.htm#pheromones