Alternative to AS?

[bpmurray]

One hive is really strong and I'm expecting them to be in swarming mood when I inspect tomorrow, weather permitting. However, given the lateness of the season, I'd prefer some alternative to Pagden. I suspect I could take the queen out with a couple of frames of brood in a nuc, a kind of inverse Pagden - would that work OK? If so, how much brood should I bring along?

 

[Robbo8916]

I have just done something similar but have lost my queen most likely to a swarm. I put three frames of brood in, one capped, one open and one mixed then two frames of stores.

Had to move 3 as needed to move the queen cells. Dunno if that is right but its what I have done.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

One hive is really strong and I'm expecting them to be in swarming mood when I inspect tomorrow, weather permitting. However, given the lateness of the season, I'd prefer some alternative to Pagden.

Lateness of the season!? it's only June.
If it's loss of yield you're worrying about, taking the queen away in a nuc is going to guarantee a loss, no new bees coming in when the foragers are shortest lived as they're working their little sock off, then the queen gets mated and the remaining bees are busy caring for brood - a Pagden (when it works) avoids most of this and gives you a new queen to re-unite at the end of it.

If the colony has not made a load of swarm cells when you look next I would do a proper Demarree - no need to keep any of the QC's they produce, just take them down and carry on with the Demarree, but, if you want to you could make a nuc up with one so you'd have a strong foraging colony and a new queen/colony at the end of it.

 

[bpmurray]

Yes, yield is what I'm thinking about. I don't want to do an AS since that will definitely reduce yield. I've never done a demaree, but I suppose there always has to be a first time! I actually only printed the Wally Shaw document last week, appropriately enough, so I suppose I'll be putting that into action!

 

[Motobiman]

Good luck with that.