demaree question

[Cuckmere couple]

have split a double bb by two supers with majority of brood in top brood box, queen below excluder with about 4 frames of brood and undrawn foundation

i intend to try to make a couple of nucs from this providing q cells are drawn (i flattened some cells below eggs on 4 frames)

question

i have been advised that they could swarm when q cells get to 5-6 days and yet have also been advised to take q cells out for nucs when capped. Advice?

also, am i better to take 2 four frame nucs and split again later in season rather than 4 two frame nucs?

 

[masterBK]

If the cells are reared in the top queenless box then they are reared under a sort of combined supersedure/emergency impulse in response to fairly sudden lower Q pheromone levels and are unlikely to cause swarming from the bottom BC containing the queen. Many queen rearers insert bars of started cells into Demaree tops to get them completed and the colonies rarely swarm and if they do, it probably has nothing to do with the cells in the top box (and when you look you tend to find swarm cells in the bottom box). That said, I always ensure the queen below is clipped to ensure they don't swarm before the cells are harvested and distributed to the Apidea. I harvest the cells when they are about two days off emergence as nuclei seem to accept them better.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

have split a double bb by two supers with majority of brood in top brood box, queen below excluder with about 4 frames of brood and undrawn foundation

i intend to try to make a couple of nucs from this providing q cells are drawn (i flattened some cells below eggs on 4 frames)

question

i have been advised that they could swarm when q cells get to 5-6 days and yet have also been advised to take q cells out for nucs when capped. Advice?

also, am i better to take 2 four frame nucs and split again later in season rather than 4 two frame nucs?

as MBK really - seldom see queens swarm from a Demarree,you are inducing supersedure rather than swarm cells.
Only time I've had a queen in the bottom box swarm - there were no QC's in the top - they were all in the same box as the Q

 

[Cuckmere couple]

Excellent
Thanks for those answers, very helpful

4x2 brood frame nucs
Or
2x4 brood frame nucs

Attracted to latter and split later as I had a 4 brood frame nuc at end of May last year which gave 2 full supers so was hoping 2x4 would give honey and then allow a split later

Sound ok?