Hives in a row swarm control Question

[Brigsy]

Hi there,

This may be a daft question but that never stops me.

People that keep their colonies in a close row like two hive stands or long parallel rows , how do you perform swarm control?

Having them close together must prevent doing the AS and moving brood boxes a metre one way and then the other, surely the bees will drift into the nearest give which may not be the one you wish it to be!

Do you use vertical techniques?


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[Dusty Rhodes]

I Demaree. It's a good way to tackle the swarming and keeps the same footprint. And I can choose to increase, re-combine, remove old comb etc.

Dusty

 

[Amari]

Hi there,

This may be a daft question but that never stops me.
People that keep their colonies in a close row like two hive stands or long parallel rows , how do you perform swarm control?
Having them close together must prevent doing the AS and moving brood boxes a metre one way and then the other, surely the bees will drift into the nearest give which may not be the one you wish it to be!
Do you use vertical techniques?
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My hives are in a row but that doesn't preclude performing an AS with the Pagden method. The old queen is left in the new brood box on the original site (with all the supers) and the old box with the brood and queen cells can be placed anywhere in the apiary. The flying bees from the old box fly back to the original site. The old brood box colony raises a new queen.

 

[Erichalfbee]

As Amari above

 

[enrico]

I know very few beekeepers who actually bother to move their hives from one side to the other. In practice it is not easy and rarely practical.
Like amari I just do the swarm control by splitting at the correct time and then leave them, the box with the queen cells can go anywhere! Some of my hives are barely six inches apart.
E

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

You don't have to move the Q- hive from one side to another after a week - just move it anywhere within the apiary and be done with.

 

[Brigsy]

I see. Thanks people.


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[Brigsy]

I guess the second move just supplements the flying bees to the original queen and isn't a major factor?


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[Brigsy]

I Demaree. It's a good way to tackle the swarming and keeps the same footprint. And I can choose to increase, re-combine, remove old comb etc.



Dusty

Thanks Dusty. I guess I'm going to have to try over the coming years and make my choices.

 

[drex]

I guess the second move just supplements the flying bees to the original queen and isn't a major factor?


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It also Drains more bees from the original box. Once I did not bother and that hive then swarmed .

 

[beeno]

Hi Brigsy et al,
As above. When it comes to doing an AS don't worry about the lack of activity from the parent hive afterwards. It often takes the house bees three days to realise that they have to promote some to become foragers prematurely! Have fun.

 

[Brigsy]

Thanks. It was just not doing the second move of the colony that is foxing me.


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[jenkinsbrynmair]

Thanks. It was just not doing the second move of the colony that is foxing me.


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you just have to be vigilant with queen cells and emergency QC's - the hive will still be fairly strong so every chance of a swarm headed by a virgin if there's more than one QC in there.

 

[Brigsy]

I see. Thanks.


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[Erichalfbee]

That's why it makes sense to go back in 6 days later to destroy any more qc they make

 

[Poly Hive]

Where people get confused iwth the moving the boxes about is this. The Demaree...see below is from America and the colonies there tend to be seriously larger than ours. Three of four brood boxes in use for instance.

"
Demaree Method of Swarm Prevention

First explained by George Demaree in the American Bee Journal in 1884 and later improved in a follow-up article in 1892. The goal is to prevent a strong, populous hive from swarming.

Step 1: Place a super with 8 empty, drawn frames on the bottom of the hive, beneath the other supers.

Step 2: Go through the brood boxes and find the queen. Place her, with two frames of capped brood, in the center of the bottom box (filling out the 10 frames)

Step 3: Place a queen excluder on the bottom box (now with the queen) and place at least 1 empty super above it.

Step 4: Put the original brood box with remaining unsealed brood on top. The returning workers will tend to the queen and help her build out the empty frames while the nurse bees will stay with the brood up top until it all hatches.

Step 5: After 7 to 10 days, return and destroy any queen cells in the upper super. Be vigilant in this task (missing one will create a swarm.)

Step 6: After 9 or 10 days, repeat the process. At this point, the swarm urge will be deflated.

Possible Option? You can use the queen cells in the upper super for increase or for new queens, especially if this is a strong hive.

My Thoughts: This is a lot of work to prevent what is otherwise a natural occurence. Swarming is a natural mechanism that the Honey Bee uses to combat many of its pests. Although I believe the methodology above is a good one, it is important to put nearly every hive in a queenless situation at least once every 2 years.

The My thoughts are not from I, but part of the article I have quoted though I have to say I do agree. As in requeen on a regular basis UNLESS she is a spectacular queen and is to be bred from.

PH