Workers are simply underdeveloped queens. They have the ability to lay eggs, but they can only lay unfertilized eggs - which turn into drones. If a hive is without a queen for more than 3 weeks some workers will begin laying eggs. It is usually pretty easy to identify. Workers do not have the ability to control how many eggs they can lay. Their will be multiple eggs and on the cells walls. (They are usually not long enough to reach the very bottom of the cell) You will find

Queen rearing is a great way to increase your hives and can be combined with Varroa control. Raising queens introduces a brood break into the cycle of a hive. During this brood break a mite treatment can be used to kill almost all of the mites. I like to use Oxalic acid as it kills on contact and is natural and inexpensive. You do not have to be a sideliner beekeeper to raise queens. A few hives will suffice. You can raise up to 100 queens off of 1 hive. Raising queens is one

Finding a queen can be very difficult, especially in a full hive. It's like playing Where's Waldo in real time! When I first became a beekeeper, I did not find the queen until my second year! Now, that is not a problem :) but even with years of experience she can sometimes still escape my eye! There are only a few cases in which you actually need to find the queen or locate the queen. > You are requeening > Splitting > Combining 2 hives There is no secret formula to find her,

Splitting hives is one of the easiest, cheapest ways to grow your hive count. Step-by-step instructions for making a nuc split, plus tips on timing and feeding.