Demaree method....for increase

[Cuckmere couple]

I think this weekend may be time to Demaree the colony from which i want to raise queens and therefore split some nucs. I think it will have 16 frames of brood.

so...my plan and some questions

1. put mostly capped brood in bottom box with q and qe
2. 2xsupers (1 is nearly full already)
3. upper brood box with mainly eggs...may squash cells below freshest eggs
4. leave until q cells capped
5. then remove a frame of brood plus a frame with a q cell into a nuc with 2 of stores and 2 foundation. Hopefully do this with 8 frames to make 4 nucs and get brood from upper or lower aiming for capped frame of brood plus qc frame in each nuc
6. leave nucs for queen to emerge and mate
7. reassemble hive to a single bb - with supers on?
8. do i remove frames with q cells to nucs as soon as they are capped?
9. will bees on the frames of brood be sufficient in the nucs?

any advice welcome

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

1. You are assuming you will get loads of QC's - with Demarree, you usually get few, but better quality. You may get none.
2.Remove frames as soon as QC's are capped
3.2 Frame of brood (one having the QC) is fine
4.Remember to give each nuc a good shake of nurse bees

 

[Cuckmere couple]

thanks

i have some good q cells in another colony currently capped - maybe if im unlikely to get 4 or more decent, i should pinch 1 or 2 from here before the colony 'sorts them out' rather than wait then....hmmm

shake of bees in addition to those on frame? and would these come from bottom box?

 

[mjt68]

I think this weekend may be time to Demaree the colony from which i want to raise queens and therefore split some nucs. I think it will have 16 frames of brood.

so...my plan and some questions

1. put mostly capped brood in bottom box with q and qe
2. 2xsupers (1 is nearly full already)
3. upper brood box with mainly eggs...may squash cells below freshest eggs
4. leave until q cells capped
5. then remove a frame of brood plus a frame with a q cell into a nuc with 2 of stores and 2 foundation. Hopefully do this with 8 frames to make 4 nucs and get brood from upper or lower aiming for capped frame of brood plus qc frame in each nuc
6. leave nucs for queen to emerge and mate
7. reassemble hive to a single bb - with supers on?
8. do i remove frames with q cells to nucs as soon as they are capped?
9. will bees on the frames of brood be sufficient in the nucs?

any advice welcome

What other kit do you have to hand? If you have any kind of split/snelgrove board (or a piece of correx and an eke with entrance) you could use that instead which will very likely give you more QCs and a better likelihood of making several nucs. You'd need to make up the boxes in a different way - queen and frame she's on in bottom box with empty(ish) frames and BIAS with adhering bees into top box for QC raising. For extra points apply Miller method to a frame to get QCs and for the whole hog take some of these into mating nucs in due course.

Don't be too 'greedy' in splitting at the end though - one or two larger splits will build quicker and you can split them again later in the season. You'll be able to judge from what the box looks like at the end of the process but a bunch of weakish two frame nucs may not build up so quickly if short of adult bees.

 

[mjt68]

thanks

i have some good q cells in another colony currently capped - maybe if im unlikely to get 4 or more decent, i should pinch 1 or 2 from here before the colony 'sorts them out' rather than wait then....hmmm

You could use these to make some nucs with now, yes. If you add them to the top box of a Demaree then no? I'm not certain but that doesn't sound like a good idea.

 

[Cuckmere couple]

thanks mjt

i wasn't planning to use split board at this stage as i keep thinking it sounds a bit complicated (until i've done or seen it done)

hence trying to keep it as simple as poss (3rd year in)

i have plenty of poly nucs, 3 mini mating nucs etc