Artificial Swarm or Snelgrove Board?

[melias]

Many thanks... hadn't thought through the logistics of all the lifting. I'll master the AS before moving on to more exotic forms of swarm control..

 

[Silly Bee]

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

The same can be done with an AS.

Put an OMF on top of the crown board, cover any vent with mesh, and put the roof on the new BB with the QC's.

 

[Suzi Q]

Hi Richard...I have two hives in my small apiary (!) on allotments, one hive is next to the netting which gives me just enough room to stand by its side. the other hive, the hive that will need A/S'ing soon, is 2 1/2 feet away, and on the other side there is maybe3 feet of useable space. So not enough room to do the Pagden method, since I believe bees are bled off by moving first to one side and then to the other side of the A/S. The Snelgrove board, and I've gone and bought one now! sounds ideal. Hadn't thought about the lifting however, had trouble changing the floor on my own! There are handy beeks around, although whether they will be there when needed is a different matter. Is it essential to check what's going on underneath the Snelgrove board?
I have read so many A/s techniques over the winter they are all a jumble in my mind. I must choose one soon, get it all ready and not be diverted by wanting to do a different method.

 

[MJBee]

The Snelgrove method can be started without heavy lifting providing you have a couple of spare brood boxes - or any box that can hold frames without damage to bees or brood.

The initial set up requires the separation of frames - those with brood go in one box and those with stores go in another together with the queen on a frame of unsealed brood. The two brood boxes that will make up the hive are now empty. Rebuild the hive by placing a brood box on the OMF fill it with the stores and queen frame, QX, Super(s) 2nd Brood box with the frames containing brood.

Three days later the Snelgrove board is put in place under the top brood box. This involves lifting a full brood box OR transfer half the frames to a spare box and lift the now half full brood box. Once the Snelgrove board is in place it stays there and the entrances are manipulated to keep bleeding flying bees from the top brood into the bottom.

"Swarming its control and prevention" by L.E. Snelgrove is an old but useful addition to your library

 

[richardbees]

Hi Suzi

Now you've got it, you've got to use it !

On reflection, if I'd originally planned to Snelgrove I wouldn't have added supers to give the bees extra room to delay Sw'ing. Hopefully they would have then started swarm cells earlier = which is the course I suggest you should take.

You've got ample room to park the outer 'stores only' frames (which are heaviest) in a home made nuc sized box while you lift the bb with brood on top.

Think it all through, while in your 'apiary', so you are totally prepared and have everything ready for when you find those swarm cells!

R

 

[Suzi Q]

Thanks for the encouragement, and will let y'all know how it goes. Hope to come out of this with a new queen and a united hive.

 

[Chris B]

Snelgrove, Demaree, Pagden, Hoffman, Manley, Porter, Butler.

Wasn't that the Trumpton Fire Brigade?

You haven't made it in beekeeping until something is named after you. That's why I'm considering changing my surname to "Kiss".

 

[Luminos]

Chris Kiss - yep, has a certain ring to it...

 

[Erichalfbee]

Kiss Chris?

 

[Silly Bee]

Kiss Chris?

No chance unless Chris is a girl

 

[Suzi Q]

No chance unless Chris is a girl

Isn't Chris 'a very naughty boy'?

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

You haven't made it in beekeeping until something is named after you. That's why I'm considering changing my surname to "Kiss".

Can't have a better surname than "B"

 

[Black Comb]

No chance unless Chris is a girl

Who said Eric was a boy?

 

[The Cumbrian]

Who said Eric was a boy?

The observant will have noticed Erichalfbee has signed a number of posts Erica.

 

[FreeFall]

And also has the Venus symbol above her avatar

 

[Luminos]

And also has the Venus symbol above her avatar

...as opposed to the Penus symbol

 

[Headnavigator]

Luminos,

 

[richardbees]

have I strayed into the forum pages of "Jackie" ?

 

[Skyhook]

Luminos,

No, just

 

[madasafish]

have I strayed into the forum pages of "Jackie" ?

Nope.
Jackie is too intellectual for us err me..