Drone Layer

[Jimbo]

After checking the bees today I have discovered one nuc has become a Drone layer. I opened the queen cell to find the queen had formed but had failed to emerge from the cell, therfore one of the workers has become a drone layer. I know what I plan to do with the nuc but interested in any other suggestions

[gavin]

Inserting a protected queen cell (wrapped with aluminium foil leaving the tip exposed) is supposed to work.

G.

[Jimbo]

What do you think would happen if I introduced a new mated queen? would the drone laying worker stop laying?

The colony is not that stong so I intend to take the hive a fair distance from the other colonies and shake off the bees. The theory is the wokers will come back and find a new home in the other colonies but the laying worker can't fly that far.

Jimbo

[gavin]

I think that you'd lose the new queen. I did something similar last year and they killed her, which is what folk say will happen. Steve Rose on another forum (forget which one) said that he regularly cures drone laying colonies with a protected queen cell.

G.

[gavin]

Well, if you read around you can find all sorts of suggestions, including the one you were about to try:

http://community.lsoft.com/scripts/w...atch%3BMatches

The Bee-L archive is a tremendous store of good advice.

G.

[Calum]

I would always give up on a colony where the bees are laying eggs (I have been instructed that it is more than one).
Dont shake the bees off the frames in front of the stand - the bees can attack another (weak) colony, overpower the guards an get in and kill the queen.
If there are closed brood /food / honey frames hang them in another hive. Move the rest and place them singularly away from the stand. The non laying bees will beg their way into other hives. The laying bees will be killed.

This late in the season even a laying queen with mostly old bees (I guess they are at least 8-10 weeks without a queen?) will hardly get up to strenght with winter bees anymore.
Chances are the would then die of nosema in the winter and very possibly take others with them as sick bees fly into other hives or bees from other hives rob the empty one full of detreutus & dead bees.
Do the rest of your colonies a favour and let it go.