Steve, you asked:

"Am I correct in concluding that what you are doing by this
procedure is causing the hive with laying workers to be absorbed into the
strong hive?"

Yes this is correct and since this hive already has a queen the workers
will not allow laying worker(s) to enter. The bees from the hive with
laying worker(s) will go to the location of the original hive and be
absorbed into the newly replaced strong hive.


"If so then what happens to the hive that you shook the bees
from since presumably bees from it would tend not go back to it while the
bees from the strong hive would?"

Let me explain in depth what I do with the hive I have shaken the bees
from. If you have a laying worker, the eggs she lays are unfertilized and
the cells will be distorted. I simply use my hive tool to scrape the tops
of the cells and kill the brood within. These combs are then put back into
the hive with frames of brood (I normally take brood from the strong hive
used to swap) and a caged queen. The forage bees from the strong hive will
enter the new nuc and give it a field force to get started. I find this
hive will build up really quickly and the strong hive will bounce back as well.

Hope I have explained this clearly and not confused you.

Johnny Cox
Honey From The Rock
Arizona

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