Laying Worker
Overview
When the hive's queen is not present and a replacement queen has not been identified, then one of the worker bees can "step up" to be a laying worker. The problem is that this worker is not impregnated, so she will only lay drone eggs.
This can be identified by:
- The laying worker does not have an abdomen long enough to reach the bottom of the cell, so the eggs will usually not be standing up and centered in the cell. The egg will usually be laying over or against the wall.
- The laying worker does not have as much control over the process and will often put more than one egg into a cell.
- As mentioned, the capped brood will be an only be drone larva.
Beekeeper Actions
You will be hard-put to find the offending worker, so don't try. Add a mated queen to the hive and she (or the other workers) will take care of the situation.
I found that one situation I had with this was resolved when I added a queen-right swarm to the hive where I had the laying worker.
More Information
Books and Papers
- The Hive and the Honey Bee, by Dadant
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Disclaimer: eMail comments to me at BeekeepingBoK @ Gmail.com. The process of beekeeping can cause injury or be a health hazard unless proper precautions are taken, including the wearing of appropriate protective equipment. |