Laying Workers
Multiple Eggs - Nothing but Drones?
Queenless Last-Ditch Effort
When a colony remains queenless long enough, some worker bees may begin laying eggs.
Because workers cannot mate, the eggs they lay produce only drones.
During an inspection this usually appears as multiple eggs per cell, eggs on the cell walls, and an irregular brood pattern.
This is not a normal colony condition, but rather the hive's final attempt to continue its genetic line after losing the queen.
Beekeeper Intervention Needed
Not a chance this hive will survive without help...
Why This Happens
A healthy colony is regulated by pheromones produced by the queen and by developing brood.
These chemical signals suppress the reproductive organs of worker bees and keep the colony organized around a single egg-laying queen.
When a colony remains queenless for an extended period and no young brood is present, those signals fade.
Without them, some worker bees begin developing limited egg-laying ability.
Because workers cannot mate, the eggs they lay are unfertilized and develop only into drones.
The colony is attempting to continue its genetic line, but without a true queen the population cannot sustain itself.
