Laying Worker Resolution Follow up Hive 1, Screen removal and reduction. S5E37

[@HaselorHoney]

I found a worker laying colony yesterday. Thank you for sharing 🐝🐝

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

Yeah, bummer. If you're a beekeeper, it's gonna happen eventually. This rainy season is what got me I think. Take care and good luck.

[@HoneyHollowHomestead]

I've been waiting to see how this combine worked out. Who knew there could be so much drama going on with bees?! 😂

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

Hi HHH. Yeah, it never ends. Always something to work out. Thanks for stopping in.

[@HoneyHollowHomestead]

@@JeromeBeeFarm "Tune in next time for . . . , As The Hive Turns!" 😜

[@jonclemons1421]

Good video for me. I used your queen cell transplant method for a queenless hive. Put in two qc's and one took. I don't think I've ever seen so many drones in one colony before. Fingers crossed this makes it right now. Thanks for sweating through these videos!

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

Hi Jon. That works pretty good if you can get them off of there. I should have done it last month when I had the chance and made a couple more nucs. Yeah man it’s getting really hot now. Thanks for stopping in.

[@donbearden1953]

Darren, I hope everything works out for a strong successful hive!

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

Hey Don, yeah, needs one more inspection to make sure it all worked out. The only time this didn't work really was when I used a newspaper instead of the screen and they superceeded the queen shortly after. That's why I go with the screen method now. Thanks for watching. Have a nice weekend.

[@DeeNashreddirt]

Glad you got that fixed. That was a lot of drone brood. I'm very disappointed in two of the nucs I purchased from a local beekeeper. They have queens, but they are old. Spotty laying pattern. One of them is in bad shape. I ordered two queens from Wildflower Meadows that will come on the 30th. Today, I'll check my Carnolian nuc, I got from another beekeeper, but they seem to be doing just fine. I'll also check my split from my large colony. I took a brood frame out of my large hive to help one of the Italian nucs while we wait for better queens. I also bought the cooling vest from your link to Amazon. It is so hot because of all the moisture in the ground. I hope you get your tomatoes in soon. Give them some balanced organic fertilizer to get them going when you plant and plant very deep. Thanks for listening. I'm still such a newbie beekeeper even after four years. I appreciate your videos.

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

Hi Dee. This hive has a long road to get to right, but it will get there. Man it is super hot. I was looking all over the place yesterday for my ice vest and couldn't find it for anything. I have the frozen part ready and no vest! I was so frustrated. I need to send my wife to look for it, she can find anything. lol I hope to get the tomatoes in the ground this weekend. Probably Sunday. I'll hit it one more time with the tiller and get the weed barrier down and panels up. I have them hardened off good now and they are ready. Oh, and thanks for using my link! Have a nice weekend.

[@jhippl]

good on you keeping a binder of everything you do. I know a lot of keepers who dont and then they split when they dont need to or let a swarm happen because they dont keep notes.

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

Yeah since I got past ten or so hives I couldn’t remember what was going on so started the notes. I started writing on the lids, but it would fade. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

Nice job Jerome!!!!

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

Thanks Rodney. Have a nice weekend.

[@richardhaen]

Very good sure do like ur music, its my kind. Need to watch the 1st video

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

Thanks Richard. I like bluegrass gospel as well. Here's a link to the first video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqS8pqV7j9Wra8k

[@stephenmurphy8538]

Good video

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

Thanks for the visit. Have a nice weekend.

[@gerardjohnson2106]

Good job straightening out the laying worker hive. I really enjoyed the intro, music and Slash doe with her fawn. You said a few days back that both the doe and buck had docked/notched/cut left ears. The vets here do that when they neuter feral cats. Obviously the deer aren't neutered. I know of a few deer farms in Oklahoma. Could it be possible that a deer farmer is releasing deer with a marked left ear as identification? I don't see that there'd be anything wrong with that. They'd for sure be healthy, wouldn't contribute to diseases and of proven genetics. Odd that the two would be recognizable to you for the same reason.

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

Hey Gerard. Thanks. Yeah, I really started looking close at the does to see if there was a way I could tell them apart. I noticed she had notched left ear like slash does. Another doe has an upside down Nike swoosh on her back right hip. I think these deer where I'm at are kind of isolated and don't get much, if any, hunting pressure because we're in city limits. No telling where they originated from. Those are the only two deer I've noticed with cut ears. I figure slash cut his fighting, it's a pretty good sized cut, about 2" long.

[@jweaver7170]

that is a lot of drones to leave in a colony. Still have swarm cells to watch. good luck.

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

Hi J Weaver. Yeah, the drones will go hang out on the edges and those swarm cells can't be viable without fertilized eggs. It's a long process to getting it straightened out, but it works. Too bad that queen isn't this year's vintage though. We'll see how they do next spring.

[@Makermook]

I've heard that empty drone cells are only going to be good for the bees to store nectar or for the queen to lay more drones. Are you expecting this queen to lay regular worker brood where the laying workers had previously had drone brood?

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

Several folks have mentioned that, but remember these aren’t drone cells. They are worker cells at worker cell diameter. If the queen doesn’t lay in them, that’s ok because they are all in the top box now and need filled with honey for winter.

[@kathyw6635]

Thank you for showing how to deal with drone laying hive. There are many frames with drone brood. The hive wouldn't need that many drones. Why can't you take out some frames with drone brood and freeze them, then give them back to the hive. Bees would clean out the dead drones and the queen would have more room to lay. This way they don't need to wait for the drones to hatch out, so queen would have the room to lay a lot sooner.

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

It's true they don't need that many. I took the easy way and didn't fiddle with the frames. I could have froze them, but that would be an extra step and my time contraints just don't allow me to get a lot done right now. I have too many irons in the fire, or plates to spin right now. Hopefully I'll get things in order soon and be able to relax a little. Take care and thanks for stopping in.

[@davidmartin6312]

Great video. My question is will the laying workers try to kill the queen you put into the lower box ?

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

They shouldn't, that's the purpose of the screen so they accept her over time and can't kill her through the screen. They should accept her as the queen now.

[@daverowden-RowdyBeeFarms]

Is it true that the drone cells that were created will always be made into drones in the future because of their size? If yes do you do you scrape out those cells to prevent this?. Love the videos, thanks for sharing . Have a great weekend

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

Hi Dave. If it was initially drawn out as drone cells (larger diameter), then they will be drone cells always, or used for honey storage. These cells are narrow worker cells with drone larvae in them. I’m pretty sure they will go back to worker cells. Worst case the queen will ignore them and lay somewhere else and they become honey storage.

[@patrickmullen3227]

I have a laying worker hive i am doing the same thing on but I don't have as many frames of drone cells i am going to remove the frames freeze them and put them back and let them clean them out that way the hive isn't over ran with drones

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

That will work too. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@tybo759]

I've been hoping to see an update for this method. I didnt hear you say if the egg laying had stopped. So this basically just looks like a method for combining the laying worker hive with a queen right hive. The week of sharing pheromone will keep the combine from killing the queen? Let me know if I misunderstand this.

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

That’s correct Tybo, but it’s a slower process than normal combines, or newspaper combines and it lets the bees from both hives be in contact with each other for an extended period, so you reduce risk of the queen getting killed by the laying worker hive. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@markkarstad2899]

Question, I am doing a newspaper combine right now and seeing a fair bit of wounded and dieing outside the hive. Is this normal for a combine?

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

Probably not. Sounds like they got through too fast or you have a hole in the paper. It could be from something else as well. Possible robbing.

[@Tj-ot4jp]

Did that actually fix it though? old workers are renowned for not accepting new queens, I have tried that before and they killed the intro queen and created a new one. I have tried walk away shake outs before (the laying worker having never left the hive will not be able to find her way back) and still no luck, I hope it worked for you, great vid.

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

It stops the laying workers 100% of the time. I have had queen supercedures occasionally, but not every time.

[@426superbee4]

Well my tomato's are loving this rain. If you can believe that one! If i can keep these fat ass birds off of them, and quit breaking them down. My peppers hates it. The plants are showing yellow A dam buzzard hen was under my car port the other day OMG scared the hell out of me when it plop its fat ass on my pickup 😡 its war on birds around here.

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

My green beans have taken off. Hoping to get tomatoes in the ground this weekend.

[@nancynolton6079]

I'd have put the empty queen box above the bottom box now that the queen was down below. Then I'd have moved the food frames from the old second box into the empty queen box. Next I'd have shaken all the bees off those capped drone frames into the new second box. I'd have removed all those capped drone frames and given the hive new foundation to draw (from bottom box) and then more drawn comb to finish filling out the box. I'd not have wanted all that capped drone comb in the hive on the off chance the new queen will lay unfertilized eggs in all that drone comb once the drones emerged (also mites in all that capped drone brood). I'd want worker bees not more drones being raised in that hive. Feed that drone comb to the chickens! Probably would have added a feeder as well to create an artificial flow.

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

Hey Nancy. I put some empty frames up top and most of the stores down below. I wanted all the drone brood up top so when they emerge, they can fill back with honey, or the queen will lay up there. It's really worker cells with drones in them, so they are worker sized and not the wide drone cells. I don't have many chickens left. A coyote got in my chicken run and took 19 chickens. I haven't seen any signs of mites in other drone brood I've cut out this year, so I don't have mites. LOL Have a nice weekend!

[@nancynolton6079]

@@JeromeBeeFarm Here's hoping you get sunny weather and those cells fill with nectar/honey or at least sugar syrup! I still have some green and blue queens too still laying strong. Sorry to hear about the chickens... we have coyotes in the area here too but no one seems to be able to get a bead on them. I'm raging war on deer eating all my hosta plants have nothing but stems left. Saw my "Slash" yesterday... last year I thought someones steer was lose behind the shed he was so big and broad!

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

😂 we’ve had hot and humid all week. Heat advisory all week. 90 with 80% humidity. Storms approaching from the north 🤬

[@1docg]

Won't the queen simply lay more drones in those drone cells in the upper box?

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

No, the new queen is a good mated queen from a known good hive. She’ll lay worker brood. Those cells are worker cell diameter, not drawn as drone cells. They will return to worker cells.

[@_J.F_]

Just one question. If the queen, which you originally removed from a hive because she was 'pissy', really is a 'pissy' queen then why bother using her to correct another hive?

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

Hi J F, because that's the only queen I had available is why I used her. If they are intolerable, I will pull her out and requeen later. This way, I may get some honey production from that hive.

[@_J.F_]

@@JeromeBeeFarm That makes sense and it is always when we need an extra queen that we end up not having any spare ones. Just keep in mind that she might end up producing a fair few drones carrying her genes and potentially sending the 'pissy' genes right back to any of your virgin queens going on mating flights.

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

I’ll try to pull some splits from the wildflower meadows queens next spring and propagate their niceness. My understanding on mating flights is that the queens travel away from their home so they are breeding with drones other than their home apiary.

[@_J.F_]

@@JeromeBeeFarm The norm is that your drones as well as your virgin queens will fly to the nearest drone congregation area. Virgin queens will not usually mate with drones from her own colony, due to inbreeding, but she could easily mate with drones from other hives in your apiary. Either way any drones coming from the "pissy" queen might very well pass on the "pissy" genes and even if these genes do not return to your apiary this year or the next, the genes will be out there in the pool of genetics and will potentially come right back to you sooner or later. If you are interested in these things there are tons of talks, by very clever people, on bee biology on KZbin. You could watch this one that I found really informative: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hqLSi6mMqpZ4bdU

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

Thanks. I’m going to check that out. Data and research is always better than subjective jibber jabber 👍👍🐝🐝

[@martenapperloo1055]

How is it possible for a laying worker to be able to make a Queen out of drone cells ,its not possibly is it

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

No, it’s not possible. I call those drag queens. I don’t know if a drone comes out of the queen cell or if they just don’t develop, but you won’t get a queen from a laying worker egg.

[@martenapperloo1055]

Why would your put a pissy queen into another hive , wont her offspring wind up being crabby in her new hive

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

A pissy queen is all I had. If it’s genetic then yes it will pass on. Most of the time my hives are that way because of some condition making them that way. We’ll see. If it’s too bad I’ll take them out.

[@darrellvater8990]

Hope they don’t kill her

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

Hi Darrell. They shouldn't. The only risk is if I did it too soon. If I get time, I'll get in there this weekend to see how it went. Thanks for watching.