In response to the aggravating "laying worker" problem so many enjoy (said no one, ever), I have decided to officially jot down my solution.
[What is a layer hive?
A "layer" hive (a.k.a drone colony) is a phenominon that occurs after the prolonged absence of open brood pharamone in the hive.]
This of course happens in the absence of a queen when attempts at replacing her have failed. In time, many worker bees take on queen like characteristics and begin laying eggs and the colony starts raising drones.
Discovering that your beehive has turned "drone" is particularly frustrating because it means the psyche of an entire colony is off wack and you likely have no idea how to deal with it. Chances are you've been told to shake them out somewhere and install a new queen. This you later discovered didn't work. Why?
Perhaps too many people are willing to give advice they heard, but never tried, but believe works because everyone else who never tried it also repeats it making it "common knowledge". Now you have a group of self taught beekeeping experts sharing bad clichés.
Solution: Stop repeating stuff YOU yourself have not proven to be effective over time.
Look, as beekeepers, our job is simply to observe and not micromanage all chemical imbalances in a beehive. There are just too many.
Bees typically resolve their own issues through a series of natural responce to any stimulus. We actually rely on them to do this. If something goes wrong with the queen, the bees replace her.
Nevertheless, sometimes they fail.
Unfortunately, the beekeeper is oft times to blame for this.
Reguardless of what happened, something tipped your bees past that "point of no return" and by the time you catch wind of the problem, your colony has been without a queen for several weeks and you simply can't fix the problem by installing a new queen.
The compounding problems in a layer hive become a downward spiral of issues more difficult to revert the longer they go unchecked.
There are many suggested ways to solve the problem some of which are surprisingly simple in theory, yet all of them demand the same things...
Outside additional resources!
So what's my angle? Well, to put it bluntly, returning a "layer hive" back into a proper functional "queen right colony" is a lot like making "stone soup" (story below).
Now I don't mean to insinuate that a layer hive is not worth fixing but, oh wait, actually, I am!
please don't mistake me for insensitive, I do understand the heartache, worry, and frustration. No one wants to lose a hive. And no one is expecting you to sit back while your investment vanishes. This is why it is difficult to answer the question "how do I save my bees"?
Everyone has a different answer and hope is a powerful motivator. So powerful in fact, that we sometimes overlook the obvious...
Stone Soup
Once there was a clever traveler who, upon finding himself hungry, opened his pouch to reveal nothing but a worthless stone. This alone was good for nothing but he knew how to fix it into a perfectly good meal. All he lacked were one or two simple ingredients. For those he knocked on a strangers door.
A woman answered and, upon seeing a beggar, nearly turned him away. Nevertheless after hearing that he had the magical ability to make soup with nothing more than a stone, she invited him to dinner. After all, she would be the one getting treated that evening. All he needed was a pot of boiling water.
Once a pot was boiling over the fire, in went the stone and, after only a few minutes, the traveler said, "It is done and looks very good but lacks a little seasoning". This the lady could spare, so, to her cupboard she went. A while later the traveler said, "It is very delicious now but would be so much better with a few vegetables". A few vegetables were a small price to pay for such a magical meal as this. so out into the garden she went. Soon the house was filed with delight and everyone was getting hungry.
"Just one more thing" said the traveler, "I always find that stone soup is most satisfying if you add a little chicken". "Oh I love chicken" she replied, and so off to the coop she went to slaughter a hen. what a small price to pay for an actual meal out of a worthless common stone. Finally all was ready and they ate stone soup with delight until their belies nearly burst. She thanked him for his wise generosity and was especially grateful when he left the magic stone behind in the bottom of the pot. How she couldn't believe it was possible to make soup from a stone. The End*
Like the ending of this jaded story, so it is with a doomed hive of layers that are revived into a perfectly functional queen right colony. All you needed were a few ingredients and you saved a hive that was once missing nurse bees, a queen, eggs, open healthy brood, and the necessary moral to right a sinking ship. In the end, you practically create a brand new nucleus hive from scratch around a few old foragers.
again, I don't mean to imply that it is a waste of time to save a precious colony of laying workers... but wait, no actually, I AM.
I may change my tune someday. We all live to learn, but, I conclude this after much effort. Yes I have saved a hive or two, then again, did I really?
Today, a layer hive just gets shaken out and the equipment is removed from the area so that all bees are forced to join adjacent colonies... If they are allowed. This appears to be the most ideal solution because if the bees are worth anything, they will contribute the most value to another colony.
Best wishes
Prenten Frazier
The Alpine Beekeeper
*Exercize Q's:
-What time and/or money have I spent on acquiring new queens for my hive?
-What strengths and resources have I pulled from elsewhere?
-Does saving hive numbers equate to retaining hive numbers, or does it just look more like an attempt to regain hive numbers?
