Drone layer management

[Timw]

5 weeks after hiving a swarm into a Warre there are 2 boxes of honey with drone brood in the middle combs and no worker brood. Clearly loss of queen and a drone layer has taken over. I plan (on advice) to swap out a couple of “frames” with “comb (“frames”) with eggs and open brood from another hive - a novel experience

I presume I transfer the nurse bees into the queenless hive??

what about the frames I take out from the queenless hive? Is it ok to put that into the queenright hive - and should I avoid transferring drone brood - ie just honey frames to replace the egg frames removed. - if you get my drift (whew)

 

[Trevor Gillbanks]

Don't move nurse bees. This frame should have eggs and larvae. Bees should make a new queen cell within 3 days. If not 1 week later repeat the operation.
If they make a new QC then replace it with a mature queen cell from a reputable breeder. I would suggest Lion Apiaries in south Auckland.
Yes you can transfer the drone brood into the queen right hive.

 

[Timw]

@Trevor Gillbanks Trev the other option is to combine the queenless 2 boxes with the queenright 3 box Warre- thoughts?

 

[Trevor Gillbanks]

@Trevor Gillbanks Trev the other option is to combine the queenless 2 boxes with the queenright 3 box Warre- thoughts?

Not until i know that they are both queenless or at least one of them is.
There are rules that need to be followed with amalgamating colonies. You can end up with both hives being queenless or you kill you only viable queen. Take little steps before the big ones.

Not all Queenless hives are truly queenless