Demeree Question

[beeker]

Another demaree question.....
All is going well, the Queen after taking a break has started laying like a train again. Rolled the brood into the top box again. And bees are using both entrances a la JBM top entrance board.
Supers are getting filled to the point where I have to extract now, on an OSR field. I have clearer boards ready, top stack I'm fine with.
But how do I clear the middle two supers, as there's the board with QE filled hole above.
A) Accept most will go down and a few will get in from above.
B). Put solid board above the middle supers, effectively separating the two halves overnight
C) just shake the middle supers out. Or am I missing something ?

As always thanks for any advice.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Another demaree question.....
All is going well, the Queen after taking a break has started laying like a train again. Rolled the brood into the top box again. And bees are using both entrances a la JBM top entrance board.
Supers are getting filled to the point where I have to extract now, on an OSR field. I have clearer boards ready, top stack I'm fine with.
But how do I clear the middle two supers, as there's the board with QE filled hole above.
A) Accept most will go down and a few will get in from above.
B). Put solid board above the middle supers, effectively separating the two halves overnight
C) just shake the middle supers out. Or am I missing something ?

As always thanks for any advice.

Preparation! remove the supers you want to extract and set to one side for a moment, replace with one empty super and frames. replace top brood box, put clearer board on top of that and then put the supers to be cleared on top of that

 

[beeker]

Preparation! remove the supers you want to extract and set to one side for a moment, replace with one empty super and frames. replace top brood box, put clearer board on top of that and then put the supers to be cleared on top of that

Of course. . Thank you, knew there was something I was missing

 

[Do224]

You could even, once there are QCs in the top box, make two or three nucs out of it

If you were to do this could you keep the nucs in the same apiary or would they need to be moved?

 

[Curly green finger's]

If you were to do this could you keep the nucs in the same apiary or would they need to be moved?

No it’s fine leaving them at the same apiary, just make sure you shake of a good amount of young bees from the supers .
Some of the flying bees will go back to the original site .

I’ve done both options moved nucs and left them at the same site , you just need to make sure if you leave them at the same apiary to make them up over populated.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If you were to do this could you keep the nucs in the same apiary or would they need to be moved?

stuff some fresh grass in the nuc entrance, the half day it will take them to get out will held them reorientate shake a load of bees in there when you make up the nucs, some will go back to the main hive but enough will remain to look after the brood

 

[Rory Fields]

I’ve been reading up on the Demeree methodology for swarm prevention - thanks to JBM for the useful blog post.

Could this method be used to split a strong colony into 2? If you were doing this, would you still complete the Demeree as described or would you potentially split the brood box 2 with half brood and stores and half empty frames in each BB? Would you then wait for the new queen in the top box to start laying before removing and setting up a new hive or should that be done earlier?

The other option is a walk away split.

Lost a swarm already this season and second hive had brood over 7 frames when checked on Monday so want to potentially take preventative action this weekend if they continue to strengthen.

Thanks in advance as always.

Where's this blog please? Always looking for more than David Evans and Rusty can keep up with. I had a variation on this question - have slightly had my hand forced as I've been having to make splits in around 50 colonies and frankly, much as I'm bee mad, my back isn't so keen on the endlessly multiplying hives, nor have I enough apiaries - so was wondering if, since I mostly run Abelo's with the bung in, if I performed a normal demaree but let them make one queen cell in the top box and left the bung out, it'd work as a functioning two queen hive with supers in between the two Queens? Then later in the year or if I need a mated queen of decent quality, I could just remove one queen and reunite on standard double brood? Thanks everyone, Rory

 

[Rory Fields]

Doubtful it's all - just the ones you've read, and if so, they don't know what they're talking about. To be honest, many of the descriptions of Demarre online (Including at least one 'reputable' BKA) demonstrate that they don't really have a clue how to work a proper Demarree
I have some Demarrees every year that have QCs left in (intentionally or otherwise) and I have yet to see a single one swarm, but that leave me a hive with two queens in, co existing happily (one in the top, one in the bottom)

yes

you seldom get more than a few QCs in a Demarree as you've induced supersedure not emergency QC building - if you are managing it to raise a queen in the top box, just reduce the QCs to one good one

How long do you/can you leave it functioning with two queens separated by the supers, and presumablyas oong as the younger queen is fecund enough you ordinarily get rid of the older queen? I've a book on multi-queen hives but it's for an Australian audience and I'm buggered if I can find the bloody thing anyway. Thanks

 

[Erichalfbee]

Where's this blog please?

In the stickies. Here under Demaree
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/index-of-stickies.50958/