QUEENLESS HIVE? (Laying Worker - How to Find & Fix)

[@johnl302]

Nathan, even though you lost the queen and ultimately the hive, you still managed at least to save part of one of your oft stated goals the season. Draw more comb. At least you saved that resource.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Yep, no real worry on my part. I’m expecting 5-10% dead loss per year and 5-20% queenless hives that need dealing with. Just part of bees.

[@WhatsTheBuzz]

About 30 years back, I walked out to my bee yard and right into a departing swarm. I just stood there in the middle with the air full of bees! It was a wonderful feeling. I walked with them for a while until they moved higher and faster and I couldn't keep up. Sadly, they departed my property and headed over an open cornfield toward a wooded area. Never did find them, but it was still a priceless experience!

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Pretty cool thing to witness!

[@Chris-ft9kf]

I fill the feeders with water when I'm not feeding bees. Nice, close water source for them.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Nice idea, especially for hot weather.

[@gmichaellong]

Perfect example of why, after telling my wife "I'm just going down to the bees for a bit, won't be long.", I come back 2-3 hours later and get "the look" ... Now she no longer believes me... There's ALWAYS 'just one more thing'. 😆 Great videos! Love your calm demeanor!🏆

[@DuckRiverHoney]

They do tend to set the schedule. I grew up with cattle, horses, goats, chickens, etc, and that’s just how it is. I missed school several times after I started driving because a storm put a fence down and cows were out in the road. You do what you have to with livestock, and bees aren’t much different.

[@johnknoble491]

Good stuff. Keep the short videos coming (great info packed in +/- 10 minutes). I have only done the newspaper combine but this sure is an easier way to accomplish it!

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Thanks!

[@benca6151]

I lucked out with a queen less hive this year. The hive next to it had a queen cell in it. I just took that frame and swapped it with one from the queen less hive. It took and I found her last time I was in it.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Good thing to do if it works out!

[@nancynolton6079]

So cool to be there just when a swarm starts to depart... doesn't happen often and in 7 years I've only witnessed once and actually saw the marked queen depart too - wasn't fast enough to catch her but did rehive the swarm.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Bees are pretty cool!

[@BlanchardsBees]

I witnessed a laying worker in one of my nucs and gave her the ol hive tool test and she passed with smashing colors.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

I saw one this year as well laying an egg. Sort of neat. She came out of the cell and all the other workers were excited about it.

[@jfelty6262]

I suspect the propolis seal between the bees and ants are due to lack of bee space. Those heavy blocks combined with typical hive moisture will cause you telescope covers to sag in the middle; since they typically employ thin and /or cheap plywood or particle board. Self-building covers using 5/8' or 3/4' exterior plywood or T&G lumber (or equivalent lapping) fully glued in. Heavy enough extra weight not typically needed; if so place bricks on the corners not in the middle. Definitely place bricks only on corners of the store bought covers. ...and always use at least two heavy coats of premium paint inside and out to combat wood movement due to moisture. Caulk (waterproof) all exterior voids not filled by paint before installing the metal cover using minimum number of nails - typically six stainless steel exterior trim nails will secure a preformed metal topper in place.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

That's a great theory! I suspect though that weaker colonies tend to be more defensive of a smaller area, while bigger colonies patrol the area above the inner cover better. I had one inner cover totally overrun by ants, so I knocked them off and placed that inner cover and top lid above a strong colony and put the strong colony's inner cover and top lid on the weaker hive. This also disrupted the ants pheromone trail. The strong colony patrolled the space above the inner cover and sorted the ants out. Same inner cover and top lid, with different results, so I don't think it was a space issue, in that case at least.

[@harrisjoubertwithsleepycre1924]

I have 2 laying worker hives right now, I hate it. I always want to fix it, but have found it isnt worth the trouble for a few old bees. I just tell myself if I was 2 weeks later checking, it would be a dead out.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

That’s my philosophy as well. They’re too much trouble.

[@ME_MeAndMyBees]

Any reason you Paint and Stack your Boxes that way ? Thought it was the darker ones were Brood Boxes... Until seeing that one, the Tallest, on the Right !?! Very Zen seeing those White, Grey Boxes with Blocks... If I watch to much of David (at Barnyard Bees), all those hundreds of colours kinda make you feel giddy... 😆 Happy Beekeeping 2021. 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

[@DuckRiverHoney]

I got a few different colors starting out, but did paint a few a very blendy color this year because they were swarm traps. If a friend or family member is nice enough to let me put up a trap in their yard then I wanted to make it as unobtrusive as possible.

[@MinnesotaBeekeeper]

Ants. I've had some great results over the years with heavy dusting my hive stands with the cheapest bulk cinnamon I can find. Even when it turns to mud after a rain the darn ants don't want to cross that line. Will have to shoot a video of that. Swarming, we walked by one hive that was just firing up. I immediately pulled off all the supers. It seemed to confuse them enough to somewhat stop it. We found the swarm cells, divided the supers with a double screen board and save most of the hive. Now I understand why Bob Binnie always keeps several on his trucks! Just one more reason to always tilt the bottom super and check for swarm cells. Darn.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

I have bad luck tilting supers looking for queen cells. Seems I kill as many cells as I find. In general past late April or early May the only swarms I get will be from colonies I’m feeding. So that’s a pretty simple correction.

[@kenthompson6539]

Joe may I think said "move the laying worker colony to where your strongest hive is for a few hours and the flying bees will go in and kill all laying workers, then move it back to where it was originally and put eggs or queen cell or queen of any sort in and it should work. But nothing is garnteed with bees"

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Neat idea, but lots of work and it may mess with a strong colony. I cull the weak and build up the strong.

[@eddevault4604]

That box didn’t have enough bees for more than one box…..I have that issue sometimes too….I usually check my bees once a week for them to be queen right… Get a clip ready….that swarm will have a queen coming out…catch her and you control the swarm….

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Thanks!

[@wadebarnes6720]

I had a Queenless hive I shook it out and it was 3D and went into the house beside it and killed the queen and a bunch of bees so imagine that's the difference between a queenless hive and a laying worker have

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Yikes!