Artificial Swarm or Snelgrove Board?

[melias]

I have two colonies that have come through their first winter and I want to increase their number to four. I also need to do swarm control.

Can anyone summarize the advantages/disadvantages of doing an artificial swarm vs splitting the colonies with Snelgrove boards?

 

[drstitson]

snelgrove method is just a type of complicated AS.

 

[the naked beekeeper]

Agree.

KISS.

 

[Black Comb]

"master" the artificial swarm which will give you the confidence to try other methods in future years. The AS is also known as the Pagden method after the guy who "invented" it.

 

[oliver90owner]

I have two colonies that have come through their first winter and I want to increase their number to four.

You need to consider that they may not necessarily swarm this year?

Double brood, followed by demaree might be an option - one of many (well, at least several). No point in having set plans with bees. Targets, yes. Doubling your colonies is easy. Get it done early to avoid wasp attack ('cos unless we get a spell of nasty weather, to kill off new wasp nests before the workers emerge, this could be a bumper year for the pest controllers!).

Swarm prevention is better than controlling it. Pro-active rather than reactive.

RAB

 

[drstitson]

"his could be a bumper year for the pest controllers!"

i agree - were loads of queen wasps buzzing around hedge last night while i was outside sawing some ply offcuts into manageable/useful bits

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

"his could be a bumper year for the pest controllers!"

i agree - were loads of queen wasps buzzing around hedge last night while i was outside sawing some ply offcuts into manageable/useful bits

You have a plywood hedge?

 

[drstitson]

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

May be it's a box hedge...

 

[For want of a better word]

Carnivorous planting is the answer !
Super pitcher plant.... eats wasps ?

 

[exmoorbee]

The main advantages of the snelgrove method is the not needing spare roof and floor, plus takes up less space, but it you are trying to increase numbers any way i guess you have spare floor, roof and space so probably simpler to do and AS.

 

[Skyhook]

The main advantages of the snelgrove method is the not needing spare roof and floor, plus takes up less space, but it you are trying to increase numbers any way i guess you have spare floor, roof and space so probably simpler to do and AS.

I may be wrong here, but is it not part of the snelgrove board that you can use it to induce queen cells? If so, isn't it more of an alternative to a demaree than an AS?

I think of AS as being done with QC's, on the basis that prime swarm cells are likely to be of better quality than emergency cells?

 

[drstitson]

sure snelgrove developed his board for pre-emptive swarm control but equally good for proper ASing.

 

[richardbees]

I used a Snelgrove board once.....I wouldn't even try and do it again because of the lifting involved.

The colony was only a National brood with 2 supers when Q cells started...that meant lifting the full bb on top of the Snelgrove board which was on top of 2 supers with the new bb underneath.

I couldn't see it gave any advantage over normal AS methods.

 

[Baggyone]

I'm going to be using snelgroves this year. With the option of nuc boxes as standby.

Main advantage for me is that the bleeding of older bees continue to produce honey rather than colonies.

I do agree with the lifting and considering that I work 14x12's its a good job that it's a two man job keeping bees.

Baggy

 

[pbh4]

I think another advantage is that the upper colony with the brood and nurse bees benefits from the heat rising from the majority of bees that remain below. (Written with the benefit of years of inexperience - but lots of reading, including Snelgrove's book and I plan to try out his system this year)

Paul

 

[Suzi Q]

I used a Snelgrove board once.....I wouldn't even try and do it again because of the lifting involved.

The colony was only a National brood with 2 supers when Q cells started...that meant lifting the full bb on top of the Snelgrove board which was on top of 2 supers with the new bb underneath.

I couldn't see it gave any advantage over normal AS methods.

But was it successful? I'm short of space so have to consider using a snelgrove board. And will just have to rope in some help! How many times was it necessary to move the heavy brood boxes?

 

[bobandbec]

I have used Snelgroves.
The positive advantage was the use of the flying bees back into the base boxes and, I think, a better honey crop.
Amongst the disadvantages were the lifting at the start and then on inspections subsequently and the complication of entrance manouvres and getting the timing right. Get this wrong and the new queen may not get mated. They do make life more complicated!
If you're ok with not maximising the honey crop and you have the space AS to one side (if you are increasing to four presumably there is room for this). If you don't have the space AS vertically. No messing about with entrances then but still lifting issues.
Alternatively take the old queen into a nuc and let the old hive requeen itself. Only room for nuc required then.
Peter

 

[YorkshireBees]

Planning on heavily using the Demaree method again this year after partial success last year and learning a lot.
The main benefit is a super strong colony and better honey crop with the option of making a nuc up from the resulting queencells produced.

** This is my plan and maybe not be the same as the bees plan! **

 

[richardbees]

Suzi

Yes, it did work and maybe I was just unlucky in that there were already 2 supers on before they started a new Q. But it did mean lifting that heavy bb off the top before each inspection to manage the supering.

Are you sure you can't do a routine AS?.....all you need is 6ft width of space

richard