demaree question

[Newbeeneil]

I will have to ask Ian if they do screens for the konigin to take 14x12. For the moment that's the only thing that has stopped me doing demaree on these hives.

I have screens for my Konigin 12 frame radial to do 3 14x12 tangentially.

 

[mdotb]

I will have to ask Ian if they do screens for the konigin to take 14x12. For the moment that's the only thing that has stopped me doing demaree on these hives.

Yes if you have one of the 600mm diameter drum models (starting with the 12 frame radial already mentioned). I have been told that 14x12 won't fit screens on the 500mm diameter models.

 

[jeff33]

Perfect, I also have the 12 frames..... That's another £70 to spend on bee things!!

 

[Curly green finger's]

Both. I like to have some food frames spare but also extract some and put the extracted frames in the freezer.

What does one do with frames that they don't have room for in the freezer?
Pollen frames or mixed?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I don’t know. What would you do? I have a dedicated chest freezer so I have room for a few. Pollen goes mouldy over time. Stores are ok capped and put somewhere moth proof. Spray with Dipel?

 

[Curly green finger's]

I don’t know. What would you do? I have a dedicated chest freezer so I have room for a few. Pollen goes mouldy over time. Stores are ok capped and put somewhere moth proof. Spray with Dipel?

Same here I have a 3/4 chest freezer with super frame stores and brood but I have 4 pollen frames which I have no room for.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Same here I have a 3/4 chest freezer with super frame stores and brood but I have 4 pollen frames which I have no room for.

Throw something out
Capped super frames are perfectly ok out of the freezer

 

[Cuckmere couple]

JBM/Dani and others...further question

presumably you get to a point in a demaree with upper entrance during a flow, where some bees have advanced to flyers and start backfilling the emptying brood frames with stores. How do you handle this given that i was thinking you want to give those empty brood frames back to Q in bottom box in exchange for BIA?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

JBM/Dani and others...further question

presumably you get to a point in a demaree with upper entrance during a flow, where some bees have advanced to flyers and start backfilling the emptying brood frames with stores. How do you handle this given that i was thinking you want to give those empty brood frames back to Q in bottom box in exchange for BIA?

All bees will use both entrances, that's the whole point, even if you end up with a new queen up top, you won't need to unite them at the end of the season when you squish one of the queens.
You don't have to continually 'roll' the Demarree, in fact Demarree never did, but, as long as the frames are not packed full and ready to be capped, just move them down - the bees will just move the honey back up to the top.

 

[Erichalfbee]

And by the time the bees are doing that you have supers on top of the top brood.

 

[Cuckmere couple]

perfect....thanks both

 

[Cuckmere couple]

i have just had a quick look in 4 hives in my apiary in the wooded area....

they are really ready for demaree before its too late with 8BIA in UBB and 4+ in LBB

two demaree questions
1. given that daytime temps are sort of getting close to where they need to be and that with sun out and a frenzy of bees out today (forecast sunny and warming over next few days from 10 up to 14/15) will they tolerate a demaree manipulation before its too late and too much brood, given the night time temps will be 0 and sometimes below? Conscious that with Q and flyers below and the nurse bees and brood above...it may affect their successful clustering at night?
2. how much brood can you put in UBB i.e. all 11 frames? (i can always donate the spare brood!

and Dani....the colony with lots of bees and no Q/eggs today had eggs but small patches given so much stores....added two drawn combs

nectar pilling in but all into brood frames!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Leave one frame of mixed brood with the queen on in the bottom box, put all the brood up into the top box
Do it ASAP

 

[Cuckmere couple]

thanks JBM....all the signs are there, drone brood and drones...q cups (no eggs)

so overnight temps wont be an issue?

 

[Cuckmere couple]

i managed to demaree 3 of 6 which i think needed it today JBM/Dani and others

one did have 2x q cups with standing eggs...but went ahead anyway - queue emoji for having done the wrong thing....

the others i didn't have time for as need to make demaree boards too, but if they're too far gone ill split as i need another couple of queens anyway

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

one did have 2x q cups with standing eggs...but went ahead anyway - queue emoji for having done the wrong thing....

No, you did right

the others i didn't have time for as need to make demaree boards too, but if they're too far gone ill split as i need another couple of queens anyway

Just a note for the future you don't have to have a Demarree board, or even an extra queen excluder. they are just addons we have developed over the years. If ever I've felt that waiting any longer would be the wrong move, even if I had no other kit apart from a spare brood box and frames, I'd go ahead and do it and insert the board/QX later

 

[user 819]

No royal jelly then you should be fine, a cup is just somewhere for her to lay. The workers deal with them and will remove them if not intending to do so.

 

[Cuckmere couple]

thanks JBM and Hemo...that was my reckoning too so went ahead

Q jumped off frame id put in nuc whilst maneouvering it all and had to pick her up and place her back in LBB

all a bit frantic

 

[user 819]

A good time to act on a Demeree when eggs/cups are seen but no QC's with jelly. They might or might not have been thinking of swarm preps but I would have thought not unless they have just be caught in the nick of time.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I’ve got two that I might start in a week or so if the weather holds up. Brood boxes rammed with brood and nectar so supered those