Demaree update

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Joined
May 29, 2018
Messages
1,635
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303
Location
East Sussex
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
9.5
of the 3 colonies i Demareed on 14/4, yesterday i swapped
  • 5 BIA from LBB to UBB in first
  • 8 BIA in second
  • 4 BIA i third (i had made a nuc out of this one)
I have to say, particularly in the second, the volume of bees was pretty significant and the middle supers were filling up fast

couple of queries
  • a number of the frames i moved back down were filling with stores so i did add some drawn comb to ensure room for Q (what do people do with half filled, uncapped brood frames, i have stuck a few in freezer until i may need for nucs) or doesnt it matter and just leave in LBB
  • remnants of brood in some frames moved down are now spread across 8 frames in LBB, i guess this doesnt matter
  • when i come to remove supers, whats the easiest way to clear bees with so many and in a demaree configuration (clearer boards etc?) plus, leaving them space whilst i spin and return (i guess add empty supers)
the 3 i demareed on 17/4 i knocked down capped QCs - these were also heaving with bees and have 11 BIA in UBB
 
I must say I like to move only capped brood up, except for when I set it up when all the brood bar one or two frames goes up, and if the top brood is filling with nectar I put a super on top
Putting frames of nectar in the lower brood box just makes the bees move it up I find
If I'm taking supers while the Demaree is still running then I put an empty one under the ones being cleared.
 
ps

another garden colony headed the same way yesterday....9 BIA and 1 egg in a cup....its neighbour has 8 BIA and i added drawn comb mid nest and will check again in a few days...no eggs in cups but getting busy
 
JBM/Dani and others

didnt have much time today and in the strongest of my demaree colonies lifted 4-5 frames of eggs and larvae into UBB from LBB

shortage of time meant i shook bees off rather than finding and isolating q

it meant the frames in UBB werent covered in bees....can i be confident nurse bees will move up? left apiary slightly anxious about them realising and finding their way up
 
it meant the frames in UBB werent covered in bees....can i be confident nurse bees will move up?
You can, before now, when I haven't been able to find the queen to conduct a Demarree I've just shaken all the bees off onto frames with foundation/drawn comb in the bottom deep and just put the new bee less frames up into the top brood box over two supers and a Demaree board - the nurse bees quickly find the brood and cover it.
 
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Hmmmmm

Moved 5-6 frames BIAS from LBB to UBB in 5 demarees today, all going fine....except

one colony had 6-7 charged QCs which look like swarm preps. There were some (3-4) cups with eggs but 6-7 drawn and developing

its odd as there was plenty of room away from the nest with 2 completely un drawn frames, 1 empty comb and a couple half stores and half empty

my assumption is they already had swarm fever as Finman calls it - though they had no eggs in cups when demareed

thoughts and advice.....JBM/Dani etc, do i need to take it down and split into two?
 
Hmmmmm

Moved 5-6 frames BIAS from LBB to UBB in 5 demarees today, all going fine....except

one colony had 6-7 charged QCs which look like swarm preps. There were some (3-4) cups with eggs but 6-7 drawn and developing

its odd as there was plenty of room away from the nest with 2 completely un drawn frames, 1 empty comb and a couple half stores and half empty

my assumption is they already had swarm fever as Finman calls it - though they had no eggs in cups when demareed

thoughts and advice.....JBM/Dani etc, do i need to take it down and split into two?
If there are swarm cells in the bottom box I’d split.
 
Don't know what the conditions are like with you but even on sunny days, there has been a very cold breeze/wind, instant winter when a cloud goes over. Couple this with a very dry month and it seems nectar dribbling rather than flowing in. My bees are fattening combs and drawing very little wax, in fact one colony was given a few extra frames in a dummied brood box and they emptied the super and put it around brood in the newly drawn combs.
 
there has been an underlying cool breeze....this apiary is v sheltered and sun all day and v active....two of these have filled their two mid supers and i added another mid stack today

but you're right...fattening rather than drawing fresh...one colony had drawn a side and a half of a brood frame in a week which isnt much
 
Hmmmmm

Moved 5-6 frames BIAS from LBB to UBB in 5 demarees today, all going fine....except

one colony had 6-7 charged QCs which look like swarm preps. There were some (3-4) cups with eggs but 6-7 drawn and developing

its odd as there was plenty of room away from the nest with 2 completely un drawn frames, 1 empty comb and a couple half stores and half empty

my assumption is they already had swarm fever as Finman calls it - though they had no eggs in cups when demareed

thoughts and advice.....JBM/Dani etc, do i need to take it down and split into two?
Been fortunate never to have that happen - put the queen in a nuc on one frame of brood with space to lay, a frame of stores and a good shake of bees, keep in the same apiary, reduce the hive to one QC and re-consolidate the hive to a brood box at the bottom. Start again.
 
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