Double brood box full and loads of capped brood- Swarm potential

[oliver90owner]

Takes about five minutes

It's not the time. Lifting 14 x 12s on/off a hive stack is just too much for me!! I knew there had to be a downside to jumbo boxes!

 

[Hivemaker.]

Takes about five minutes

It's not the time. Lifting 14 x 12s on/off a hive stack is just too much for me!! I knew there had to be a downside to jumbo boxes!

And where exactly did i suggest that you need to do a demaree Rab?

My reply was to this...............A demaree is not an easy operation and is time consuming so I don’t fancy doing it.

Please also quote the rest makes more sense then...........Takes about five minutes,with just one check nine or ten days later in top box,and thats it apart from the normal checks in the bottom.

 

[richardbees]

Demaree = same as using a Snelgrove swarm board?

So you have to find the Q, put her in a box with foundation, then the QE, then any supers, then the swarm board and then carefully put the two BB on top?

better you than me....

 

[viridens]

Can I suggest that at this relatively late stage of the season the easiest option could be to do nothing at all? Perhaps dealing with a swarm IF they decide to go could involve less labour than the other options considered here, especially if you are on hand to observe swarming behaviour and are confident at retrieving.

 

[Flatters]

On Thursday my eldest son and I went through both brood boxes twice and did not find the queen. On Friday my youngest son and I went through both brood boxes twice and did not find her. The incipient queen cells have been expanded into full sized queen cells with grubs and not yet capped. I am reluctent to go through the boxes again. We have a double brood and 4 supers on this hive so a demaree is a big job.


I have put out a bait hive and a skep to see if I can get the swarm caught as I take that view that letting them swarm is the last resort.

 

[Hivemaker.]

We have a double brood and 4 supers on this hive so a demaree is a big job.

I agree,it sounds like doing a demaree would be a very big job for you.

 

[richardbees]

Flatters,

I agree and you'd still need to find the Q for a successful Demaree.

Had you thought of splitting the two BBs onto two separate bases? Within days this will identify where the Q is.....