Hi Howard
I work with A.m. capensis honeybees, and can only answer regarding these.

> 1. Can there be more than one laying worker in a hive?
    Yes

> 2. Does a laying worker produce the pheremones that a laying queen does?
> Does the hive think there's a queen present?
    Yes, but I am not sure if the hive thinks the queen is present.
Usually, there is a contest between laying workers derived from different
patrilines.

> 3. Does a laying worker's behaviour mimic a queen, such as the tendency to
> scoot to the dark side of the frame?
    IMHO - No, I have never observed them being particularly skittish.

> 4. Does she still forage?
Eventually, laying workers become so derived that they do not forage.
Developed ovaries also prevent this.  Hence the term "social
parasite" -Allsopp 2004

> 5. How long will she live? Normal foraging worker life or longer because
> she mayh not be foraging?
 From what I understand, they may live longer, but not as long as a queen.
Anybody else answer that one?
>
> I've read conflicting remedies for a wive with a laying worker, what is
> the most effective - can the hive be saved, is it hopeless or a lot of
> effort with marginal
> results?
If one leaves the hive to be, the laying worker sometimes produces a pretty
good queen.

Hope I have helped

Paul Collett
Rhodes University
South Africa

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