at what point do you move from weekly inspections ?

[citrus]

so in swarm season I always stick close to 6-7 day inspections for qc's

and did the demaree's early in the season and now the hives are back to normal double brood and now no longer making qc's (last two checks)

is this now a good time to be less invasive and stop going through the hives and let them get on with things ?

 

[MartinL]

no longer making qc's (last two checks)

is this now a good time to be less invasive and stop going through the hives and let them get on with things ?

It's when you least expect it that they swarm, we're in a bit of a slow time right now,

1. Early start to the season

1. Weather

1. June Gap

All you need is a few days of summer & they could be off again.

However, I work shifts and struggle to do anything (other than cross my fingers & sleep) during the week when on afternoon shifts!

 

[eltalia]

so in swarm season I always stick close to 6-7 day inspections for qc's

and did the demaree's early in the season and now the hives are back to normal double brood and now no longer making qc's (last two checks)

is this now a good time to be less invasive and stop going through the hives and let them get on with things ?

This being the beginners area of the forum I'll just put this observation, and
see what follows - we may all learn something.

All you are doing with this "demaree" business is causing bees work at a time
when what is truly needed is their whole focus remaining on Expansion.
Taint fair, taint right, taint productive, buuuuut it is abuse.

Your question?
Fit a QR to the entrance and return to your 11-14day routine, they will not
swarm simply because they cannot.
Control the queen and you control the bees, keystone stuff.

Retail QR example attached.

Bill

 

[thibault]

I stopped when June gap and 11 days rain in a row kicked in. But I know my colonies. May be different for you.

Sent from my SM-J710F using Tapatalk

 

[Anduril]

Your question?
Fit a QR to the entrance and return to your 11-14day routine, they will not
swarm simply because they cannot.
Control the queen and you control the bees, keystone stuff.

Retail QR example attached.

Bill

This will end in tears

 

[madasafish]

This will end in tears

Please don't quote him : I have blocked him.

And you are correct...and he claims to be a beekeeper!:-(

 

[Poly Hive]

I saw a troll emerge on the forum and blocked accordingly.

The old adage holds true.

DO NOT FEED TROLLS.

PH

 

[Curly green fingers]

I saw a troll emerge on the forum and blocked accordingly.

The old adage holds true.

DO NOT FEED TROLLS.

PH

Hasn't jbm been banned because of him/ her who knows ..

 

[enrico]

Do not stop the queen from swarming by stopping her leaving. This may be good for some people in other countries but it is not necessarily good for the bees or for you. Instead we prefer to control the swarming by allowing the bees to go through swarm ' fever' and keeping both parts of it in one way or another.
Swarming is a natural instinct, to suppress it through force is not good. Controlling it in a natural way is far better
E

 

[B+.]

This will end in tears

It is the wrong advice, but, it's similar to the "Queen trap" idea that Juhani Waara (owner of Paradise Honey in Finland) promotes. It is wrong for a number of reasons:
1. drones can't get out so will block the entrance
2. virgin queens that emerge from cells can't fly to mate
3. the fertile queen will probably be crushed against the enclosure

So, you end up with a queenless colony blocked with dead drones. Enough said?

 

[Beefriendly]

It is the wrong advice, but, it's similar to the "Queen trap" idea that Juhani Waara (owner of Paradise Honey in Finland) promotes. It is wrong for a number of reasons:
1. drones can't get out so will block the entrance
2. virgin queens that emerge from cells can't fly to mate
3. the fertile queen will probably be crushed against the enclosure

So, you end up with a queenless colony blocked with dead drones. Enough said?

You've tried this and know it all to be fact?

I think it's an idea worth exploring. Snelgrove method 2 involves queen and queen cells being in the same box and relies on them tearing down the queen cells as the queen isn't going anywhere. How do we know virgins will emerge if the queen is confined to the same brood box.
Drones I'll give you...a problem...But doubt they will block the entrance. They don't on my pollen traps.

A couple of times I've enclosed queen in cage and left in same hive whilst physically removing queen cells. Left her there for a couple of weeks and all back to normal as soon as the older flying bees have died their natural death of old age. Not something I've aired before as many of the closed mines on here don't (or won't) even consider new ideology.
It might end up being rubbish at the end of the day but worth a bit of thought or experimentation. Caging the queen gets around any drone or virgin exit problems...

 

[eltalia]

It is the wrong advice, but, it's similar to the "Queen trap" idea that Juhani Waara (owner of Paradise Honey in Finland) promotes. It is wrong for a number of reasons:
1. drones can't get out so will block the entrance
2. virgin queens that emerge from cells can't fly to mate
3. the fertile queen will probably be crushed against the enclosure

So, you end up with a queenless colony blocked with dead drones. Enough said?

You have of course seen all these things yourself?

No problem accepting housing can vary across climate differences.
No problem coming to grips with differing windows of work across
global locations.
Buuuut by no stretch of the imagination nor fervour is anyone on
the Planet about to change/modify the biology in even a century
of evolved belief Apis bees in one location own a regime of evolution
in even a small way different to Apis bees in another.

So... I invite anyone here to put the case , it'll be interesting.


Bill

 

[Anduril]

It is the wrong advice, but, it's similar to the "Queen trap" idea that Juhani Waara (owner of Paradise Honey in Finland) promotes. It is wrong for a number of reasons:
1. drones can't get out so will block the entrance
2. virgin queens that emerge from cells can't fly to mate
3. the fertile queen will probably be crushed against the enclosure

So, you end up with a queenless colony blocked with dead drones. Enough said?

Place the excluder on at the wrong time will result in preventing a virgin queen from returning after an orientation flight or a mating flight, leaving you with a queenless hive. As you open up the hive for inspection you can be met with a swarm leaving there and then. This idea is meant to be short term use only, the implication here is that the queen excluder is in long term. Personally I think this idea using an excluder is abuse and certainly goes against the ethics of the Natural Beekeeping Trust.

 

[B+.]

Place the excluder on at the wrong time will result in preventing a virgin queen from returning after an orientation flight or a mating flight, leaving you with a queenless hive. As you open up the hive for inspection you can be met with a swarm leaving there and then. This idea is meant to be short term use only, the implication here is that the queen excluder is in long term. Personally I think this idea using an excluder is abuse and certainly goes against the ethics of the Natural Beekeeping Trust.

or...put it on with virgins/cells inside and you'll see the same thing in reverse. The virgin can't get out to mate (unless she is some skinny little runt who somehow manages to wriggle through the excluder)

As to whether I have seen the other two points: yes.
I routinely mark drones for II so have a couple of frames above an excluder. They are attracted to the light at the entrance and get stuck. Anyone who has trapped drones above an excluder during an inspection will have seen the same thing.
I have also seen queens crushed against an excluder placed over the entrance to stop them flying. In MiniPlus hives, there is no QE so you have to pin one on. If you pin it on from the inside, it is flush with the interior walls - no problem. If you pin it on from the outside, she will be attracted to the light and to go on orientation/mating flights....but...with II you don't want them to do this (hence the excluded entrance). She will sometimes die there, unable to get through and driven by her instincts (and the coming/going of the workers) to go outside

 

[JonnyPicklechin]

This thread has gone sideways. Maybe Aussie Bill can tell us where you buy these queen traps or whatever they are and BF can lead the charge in investigation by opening another thread?

As Eric Idle once said, "During the meanwhilst" I am interested to hear further views on standard inspections as the OP started....Personally I was planning to continue every week until first week in July and then go to 2 weekly though I'll be having a quick butchers at the supers through my plexiglass CBs when the mood takes me to see if they are getting covered in bees....

 

[citrus]

This will end in tears

only saw the echo thankfully

 

[Beefriendly]

certainly goes against the ethics of the Natural Beekeeping Trust.

Beekeeping as most of us practice it today is against the ethics of the Natural Beekeeping trust.
Sun hives and tree hives and let alone beekeeping seems to be their ethos.

 

[eltalia]

or...put it on with virgins/cells inside and you'll see the same thing in reverse. The virgin can't get out to mate (unless she is some skinny little runt who somehow manages to wriggle through the excluder)

As to whether I have seen the other two points: yes.

Thankyou.
Using a QR is not unlike any other piece of b'kpn kit... the timing and
duration are learnt things. Use is not "set and forget' as implied.

Having read plenty here to know the doctrine around swarming 'taught'
is not even close to working out for many a UK b'keep I have brought
this solution to help rectify the losses for those so pi55ed off in being
told they missed a step or plain got it all "wrong".
No other agenda, no bogeynan for all the girls here to lift their skirts
and shrill about... just plain simple "here is a 100% foolproof solution".

Now, we can discuss the concept, detail the method(s) or those so
inclined can go on repeating history in following what may work for
some and bring total anguish to others.
I'll keep an eye out for a topic set, otherwise I'll stay out of swarm
threads just as easy as I do on many others which simply bring a wry
smile on reading the flounderings, in 'advice' handed out.

/tips hat/

Bill

 

[Anduril]

Beekeeping as most of us practice it today is against the ethics of the Natural Beekeeping trust.
Sun hives and tree hives and let alone beekeeping seems to be their ethos.

Agreed, but I felt the urge to add it

 

[masterBK]

I stop regular checks on colonies once a current years queen has settled in. At the moment, about a third of my colonies have green (2019) queens.