I'd love your thoughts on this TBH artificial swarm idea.

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BugsInABox

Field Bee
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Joined
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Location
South Yorkshire
Hive Type
TBH
Number of Hives
3
Last year I followed the suggestion to AS by rotating my TBH 180deg. The idea being the flying bees strip themselves away in the same way they d when the brood box is moved to one side in a vertical hove AS. But then came the next step of moving the brood box to the other side - no TBH equivalent.
Spent the winter pondering and came up with this (well it was lockdown, see attached) - basically a bee escape type device allows flyers to leave but prevents return. A tunnel then directs these returners to the old queen AS nuc allowing as much flyer stripping as thought necessary/prudent without further box movements.
Has anyone tried something similar. Thoughts/feedback/clarifications please.
Was going to jury-rig something up this spring to try it - but please save me a job if it's clearly nonsense and wont work.

Presumably, although less need so to do, something similar could be done with a vertical hive and a second brood box above supers?
 

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Perhaps the first port of call will be asking those who run TBH's what they do to overcome the problem? No need to try and re-invent the wheel as it were.
 
It wont be me I think they're a abomination
 
I've split TBH colonies before by dividing down the middle with a solid barrier such that one part can then use the central entrance I have on one side of my hives, and the other uses an entrance at one end on the opposite side of the hive. - The part of the colony with the queen in it being now on the opposite side to their original entrance and the foragers entering and exiting at the original site. - This requires either shifting the hive to one side, or rotating it, depending on which section your queen is now in.

What I've found though is that I can keep 2 small colonies in one hive no problem (eg over winter) but with a split, the bees don't always feel they're separate (perhaps because of the mesh floor I have underneath?), ie the foragers don't always promptly bring on a new queen, and that I've needed to move one half away in the end.
 
No point in splitting a TBH into two colonies unless the dividing wall is airtight.

If it is not, then there will be enough scent transference for some Q- sides to think they are still Q+

(But two colonies split with a Q each seem ok.)

I found sealing a divider board nearly impossible due to my poor carpentry.
 
Indeed - my divider carpentry isn't good either! - But have really tried with insulation around a wide block for a split. Possibly also the 2 entrances are also just not far enough apart from each anyway, even though they're orientated differently?- Less than 2 feet. The hives are narrow at the bottom edge, and with mesh underneath... It has worked for me in the past but not to be depended on.
 
I've split TBH colonies before by dividing down the middle with a solid barrier such that one part can then use the central entrance I have on one side of my hives, and the other uses an entrance at one end on the opposite side of the hive. - The part of the colony with the queen in it being now on the opposite side to their original entrance and the foragers entering and exiting at the original site. - This requires either shifting the hive to one side, or rotating it, depending on which section your queen is now in.

What I've found though is that I can keep 2 small colonies in one hive no problem (eg over winter) but with a split, the bees don't always feel they're separate (perhaps because of the mesh floor I have underneath?), ie the foragers don't always promptly bring on a new queen, and that I've needed to move one half away in the end.
But how do you do a second strip of flying bees, you can only rotate 180 once?
 
No point in splitting a TBH into two colonies unless the dividing wall is airtight.

If it is not, then there will be enough scent transference for some Q- sides to think they are still Q+

(But two colonies split with a Q each seem ok.)

I found sealing a divider board nearly impossible due to my poor carpentry.
I had this issue last year - would taping round the devider board work?
 
Indeed - my divider carpentry isn't good either! - But have really tried with insulation around a wide block for a split. Possibly also the 2 entrances are also just not far enough apart from each anyway, even though they're orientated differently?- Less than 2 feet. The hives are narrow at the bottom edge, and with mesh underneath... It has worked for me in the past but not to be depended on.
Ah yes the mesh underneath - hasn't thought of that. Damn.
 

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