How to artificially swarm a double brood

[VEG]

How would you go about artificially swarming a hive on double brood with swarm cells in each brood box and queen still present?

 

[mbc]

3 for the price of one

 

[fatshark]

Probably not the way I set out to do this last week ... I had a double BB which was very busy, with unsealed QC's top and bottom. I moved one BB as a standard artificial swarm (leaving just two good unsealed cells), then took the two other unsealed cells from the remaining box and made up a couple of nucs. with them.

Checked them again this w/e. The moved artificial swarm box was moved round to the other side. It now had two sealed cells and looked OK. However, the original BB was boiling over with bees - and had two unsealed QC's and what looked like a very recently sealed one. Queen was still in residence.

I did another AS with this box - leaving the queen on a frame of sealed brood (with bees shaken off and no sign of any QC's) in a new box of foundation, and moved the other box away to the side.

This was my first experience of doing this ... there's probably a 'proper' way to do it. Caveat emptor

Now running out of boxes ... but I did achieve (at least) 3 from 1.

 

[VEG]

Got them sorted now, why is it I have a few hives in the garage not put together when I need them lol. A lesson learn't, I shall be putting them all together tomorrow.

 

[oliver90owner]

Ahh, Veg, when exactly is 'tomorrow'? I always understand that it never really ever arrives - it is always the, err, next day........

Regards, RAB

 

[VEG]

It will be this Monday when I get home from work dont want another panic attack as I have a few more hives that may be on the same thought.

 

[rae]

Hmmm, I know the feeling. We used to have loads of spare kit...now we have none at all, and are about to run out of supers. Thornes is also completely sold out of vital stuff like floors...and super side bars....

 

[oliver90owner]

Rae,

Looks like you might soon be extracting on 'a few frames at a time' basis? Or brood frames for honey! Where there is a will, there is a way.

Regards, RAB