Hi Gary
I think most likely there’s a rogue worker laying drone brood.
Should we do anything?
Hi Jeff and thanks for the advice.
We do hive inspections and would only harvest frames if at least 3 frames were 80% and then only 1 frame for every 3 that were 80%.
So we’re safe there👍🏼
When ever suits you Jane, it would be nice to catch up and sample you great fair along with a coffee. 
Cheers
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Hi & you’re welcome Nanna, I agree with @GaryB that the brood looks more like a laying worker than a queen. I get a similar laying pattern above a QE in the odd hive while the queen is happily laying below it. I remember with one colony the behavior continued for quite a few months. I’m not sure if we can do much about it as long as we know the queen is laying below the QE. I just make sure that no brood ends up in the honey while I extract it.
Good luck with your bees, cheers
Testing my memory now @NannaJano but did we leave the plastic QX on the hive or replace it. Maybe it has become brittle and failed as does even the new Flow QX which is now black. Happy to pop up any day that suits you guys. Guess your not at school at the moment.
You should have a good flow happening recently and now and a heap of gums in bud so looking really good for our Winter.
Cheers
Hi Pete, I’m relaxed. I just reply to the comments. I don’t know what more I could say when I show the photos. You’d think that would be enough.
I’ll talk to you later, cheers for now.
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Yes, that would probably explain it. It looks as though they have superseded the Queen that you marked. Even though she was young, if the bees don’t think she is “up to scratch” with laying, or she was ill in some way, they will supersede her. During the confusion of raising another Queen it is quite likely that one of the workers turned drone layer. With the new Queen now in charge you should find that any laying workers will now switch off and things will return to normal.
She looks nice and plump
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A good looking queen she is too. she really stands out in that pic. A good result Jane. Another Flow Frame QX under a year old failure, a shame that Flow continue to sell them.
Cheers
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We have had the metal QX on since before Christmas so it’s not the Flow QX at fault. I think it must be a laying worker- as the others said.
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Yes, it could be a laying worker, and if that is the case you will find drones dead caught in the QX that tried to get thru it, maybe some live ones in the super also. Reason being a laying worker can only lay drones and not worker bees.
Cheers Jane.
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Just to add to @Peter48’s advice. It’d be advisable to give the drones an exit out of the top super. I had to do that the other week because I found the queen above a metal QE. What I did was bring the lid far enough back so that the drones could escape. This morning I noticed all of the drones had emerged & escaped, so I put the lid back on properly.
I didn’t want the drones to get stuck in the QE, while trying to get out. A lot of dead drones stuck in a QE can be a magnet for hive beetles to lay eggs. I’m seeing more hive beetles at the moment than I’ve ever seen before. An incredible amount.
cheers
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