# What to do with a queen?



## applesack (Mar 10, 2006)

I'm kinda new to beekeeping. My family had bees when I was young but this spring I decided to try it again since I already had all of the equipment. Anyhow, last week I got in my hive and there were no signs of my queen...no eggs or anything and no queen cell. I was a little worried so I called the man I ordered my bees from and just got a new queen this morning. I checked my frames before I put the new queen in and there are eggs again. I'm assuming I must have missed the queen cell somehow and they made a new queen. Like I said I'm new at this so I'm a little unsure. Anyhow, I didn't put the new queen in. I don't want to waste her since I had to pay for her. Is there anything I can do with her??


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

is your hive big enough to make a split? even a small one?


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## Mike in Ohio (Oct 29, 2002)

The first question is whether you actually do have a queen or whether you have a worker that has started laying. If you have a scattered pattern of egg cells and/or you have drone cells then you likely have a laying worker. If so, try to identify her, kill her and put the queen cage in the hive. Put a miniture marshmellow where the cork is. The bees should eat her free in 3-4 days and this also gives them time to adjust to her and her scent.

As usual, just my 2 cents.

Mike


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I second Mike on this one. Best way I have found to get rid of a laying worker is to shake all the bees off the frames 50 feet or more from the hive.
If you do indeed have a queen in the hive still. Pull 2 or 3 frames of brood to put with the new queen in a nuc or a new brood box. With the new brood you could place some styrfoam insulation on each side to make a mini nuc out of the big box. The bead type of Insulation 1" to 1 1/2" is less than $5.00 a sheet.

Ya paid for the queen so You can aford to take the 2 or 3 frames from hive #1. they will rebuild quickly.

 Al


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## applesack (Mar 10, 2006)

Thanks so much for the advice. After reading some things on here I'm pretty sure I just had a worker bee laying. I did what you said to do. Hopefully all will go well.
April


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Some thing I was taught by Billy Miller a beekeeper of 50+ years.

The Billy Miller method of requeening a laying worker colony.

Many colonies will develops a laying worker that has went queen less for some reason

(1. You can identify a laying worker by the scattered drone brood, eggs on the cells walls too.

(2. Get a new queen for the colony. Many queen breeders will ship them over night USPS or UPS.

(3. Take the colony with the laying worker about 30 yards from the location.

(4. Set a second colony in that hives former location.

(5. Pull frames from the laying worker colony, spray them with vanilla and shake & brush the bees off in the grass. Put those frames in another hive body if you have one extra. If not just stack them some distance away for latter use.

(6. Set the hive (or the hive with the now empty frames.) you just emptied back on the stand where the second colony had been. 

(7. * Place the now mostly bee free frames back in the hive body along with some brood and bees from the second colony.* in case you didn't have a second hive body.

(8. Install the new queen cage. Close up the hive.

(9. Check to see if the new queen has been released in 4 to 6 days.



 Al


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

dumb question but what happens to the bees you shake off? do they just wind up as vagrants? or do they re-join the new hive as "chainged" bees?


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## Mike in Ohio (Oct 29, 2002)

Assuming it isn't too cold or at night, the bees will head back to where their hive was located.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

so how does this get rid of the laying worker? does she forget to lay when she gets back? or sence its a new hive and the new queen is there that stops it?


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Only those bees that have had the orentation flights know where their hive is. Most just go in the direction of the hives from the scents coming from them. They are sprayed with vanilla so they can be excepted at any hive.
The reason for moving the second queen rite colny where the first one was is so when and if the laying worker gets back there is a queen and workers to protect her.
Acording to Dr. Zachary Huang an associate professor of entomology at Michigan State
University.
http://michiganbees.org/

All hives have a laying worked but many workers eats or removes the eggs she lays when the colony is queen rite.

Ask the expert here::::
http://michiganbees.org/

 Al


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