OP
Finman
Queen Bee
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2008
- Messages
- 27,887
- Reaction score
- 2,023
- Location
- Finland, Helsinki
- Hive Type
- Langstroth
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AFFECT TIME OF TURBO CARE
When I start pollen feeding and electrict heating at the beginning of April, the biggest hives get fast start and develope to full size in 2,5 months.
It goes same course every year.
I take emerging brood from bigger hives and help small ones to get their boxes full of brood. When box is full brood in the first week of June, they will be foragers a month later.
That takes time. After 2 months smallest hives are full of brood and those burst out as bees 2 -3 weeks later. At the beginning of main flow hives are even size.
To catch main yield from summer rape I join colonies to get 5-6 box hives.
Balance of brood and forager is important. These arouse when I control swarming and I make false swarms.
***************
NOTE THE TIME SCALE
1. month = lack of nurser bees. Protein feeding
2. month: = new nursesr bees emerge and wintered bees die. Heating of brood area is minimum factor.
3. Month = quick expansion from 2 box to 4 or 5 box. Brood area reaches biggest size. Swarming if hive has not enough work.
.... wintered as small hives = expansion from 1 box to 2 box.
You see that small hives grow slow. That is why there is no sense to split hives in spring. But if you loose nerves, that is worse than bees
.
AFFECT TIME OF TURBO CARE
When I start pollen feeding and electrict heating at the beginning of April, the biggest hives get fast start and develope to full size in 2,5 months.
It goes same course every year.
I take emerging brood from bigger hives and help small ones to get their boxes full of brood. When box is full brood in the first week of June, they will be foragers a month later.
That takes time. After 2 months smallest hives are full of brood and those burst out as bees 2 -3 weeks later. At the beginning of main flow hives are even size.
To catch main yield from summer rape I join colonies to get 5-6 box hives.
Balance of brood and forager is important. These arouse when I control swarming and I make false swarms.
***************
NOTE THE TIME SCALE
1. month = lack of nurser bees. Protein feeding
2. month: = new nursesr bees emerge and wintered bees die. Heating of brood area is minimum factor.
3. Month = quick expansion from 2 box to 4 or 5 box. Brood area reaches biggest size. Swarming if hive has not enough work.
.... wintered as small hives = expansion from 1 box to 2 box.
You see that small hives grow slow. That is why there is no sense to split hives in spring. But if you loose nerves, that is worse than bees
.
Last edited:
(did you know that smilie was called group hug!)Are you saying that as long as they have plenty of space they won't swarm?
