Demaree

[Fahey]

I did a successful demaree coming up on three weeks ago, any advice on the next step, do I leave as is, remove the top BB so they don't fill it with honey, move more frames to top BB?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Put the top brood box on bottom with queen in.. and move bottom one to top.

 

[enrico]

I just leave them to fill it with honey, by the time the brood has all gone the chances are they will have started doing that anyway, then, if I have enough for myself they get that back under their own bb in autumn for winter food. Better for them than sugar. In spring it will be cleaned out and will be ready as drawn comb for next years demaree.
E

 

[Finman]

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To get yield it is important to join hive parts. Leave the young queen there and kill the old queen 24 hours before joining.

 

[Finman]

I just leave them to fill it with honey,Better for them than sugar. E

Extract all honey and sell it. Then in late summer squeeze the colony to small wintering room and feed the hive full of syrup. Sugar is as good winter´food as honey.

 

[enrico]

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To get yield it is important to join hive parts. Leave the young queen there and kill the old queen 24 hours before joining.

If you have demareed there won't be a young queen. And some of us like to give bees back their honey. Matter of choice wether you want money that badly!
E

 

[susbees]

If you have demareed there won't be a young queen. And some of us like to give bees back their honey. Matter of choice wether you want money that badly!
E

Eh? Depends on whether you left/added a QC...and a split board later on...

 

[enrico]

Going by the original post I don't think so otherwise the honey store wouldn't be a problem!

 

[meidel]

what do you do to help the drone brood emerging in the top demaree?

 

[enrico]

That is always a problem, most of them die on the queen excluder but as you have to check the top brood box regularly for emergency queen cells prior to all the eggs being used then every time you open the top box many will fly out. They are expendable anyway so don't worry too much. If you have large frames of drones when doing the demaree then you could cull some of them to lessen the quantity!
E

 

[Suzi Q]

I take the lid off in the afternoon. Strangely there always are a lot of drones with heads stuck up the Q exc as though they had been trying to get back up.

 

[Fahey]

The reason I posted was because I read in one of the main articles on the subject that said one should only do a Demaree once in the season. I removed all the queen cells after 7 days and drilled a 10mm hole in one of the supers, drones were seen to be using the hole. I am not really in beekeeping to sell honey Finman, only to learn about this fantastic subject. But, having said that, my wife is getting a bit impatient for the golden syrup. It's looking good at the moment with a large foraging force, but just wondered what's the best way forward.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Some rotate the brood boxes on every other inspection, some five times already, queen always in bottom box with plenty of laying space and less congestion, top box sits on a queen excluder framed on three sides, all done early before any signs of swarming, on the last demaree of the season the top box can be left to fill with honey, any honey supers in between removed and top box put back onto bottom box for winter, or extracted if the honey is needed.

 

[Fahey]

Thanks hivemaker, that's the sort of advice I was looking for. Might try a Snelgrove board to raise a few QC'c as she's a very good queen, ticks all the boxes. May need to replace her as she's from a 2011 nuc I bought last year. Would you leave her for another season?

 

[Skyhook]

If you have demareed there won't be a young queen. And some of us like to give bees back their honey. Matter of choice wether you want money that badly!
E

Absolutely no evidence that honey is better for overwintering, and some evidence syrup is better. I prefer to clear the honey and feed syrup as I can thymolise it, and protect them from nosema.


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[enrico]

Absolutely no evidence that honey is better for overwintering, and some evidence syrup is better. I prefer to clear the honey and feed syrup as I can thymolise it, and protect them from nosema.


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Ummm! I don't think I said there was any evidence! I personally feel that bees collect nectar for honey for a reason, to eat it over winter. I like the idea that I give them the opportunity to do that, it may not be the best for them, but then again who is to say what a bee likes or dislikes! I hate medicine but on occasions it does me good, I like food that I like but it may not be the best for me, it does make me feel happy and put me in a good mood!
E