Knocking back hives???

[Moobee]

So, I was on a Facebook site today (I know, I know, don’t judge me!) and ended up in the middle of a heated debate with someone who advocates ‘knocking back’ strong hives by removing frames of brood to stop them swarming. Sounds like madness to me (why would you want to weaken a nice strong colony?) and said as such, but am happy to be corrected if I am wrong....

 

[Murox]

You're not mad. There are multiple reasons/triggers for swarming - appropriate space is just one, (if thats what s/he is aiming for). Probably the person has a specific goal in mind, though I cant imagine what.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I fine line between knocking a colony back and using capped brood frames from a strong colony to boost others.
Some even use donation colonys, perhaps this is what they were doing?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Probably the person has a specific goal in mind, though I cant imagine what.

I bet you the person can't imagine what either - or maybe hasn't got an imagination
I tend to avoid facebook beekeeping pages nowadays seeing the level of ineptness, lack of knowledge from the 'experts' giving 'advice' and the usual dogma chanting just drives me to despair

 

[Hebeegeebee]

I looked at FB a few years ago and avoid it for the same reason.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I bleed frames from nuc’d queens after splits. Nothing wrong with that

 

[Horseradish]

This year I am trying a "soak" hive for exactly this reason. I take full frames of capped broad out (If the queen has maxed out her laying space in brood and a half) and place them in a hopelessly queenless hive. It gives the queens room to expand and you gain another hive that won't swarm and can't re-queen. Looking at the weight metrics of all the hives, they don't collect quite as much as a queen right colony, but it's not far off. At the end of the year I will do a newspaper combine in to one of my weaker colonies and bolster for the winter. I am trying this in combination with splits, but you can't keep expanding forever.

 

[madasafish]

I bleed frames from nuc’d queens after splits. Nothing wrong with that

Ditto.
Boost weak hives, help to make strong QR hives.

Strong hives should never be weakened in my view: just give them more space..

 

[Swarm]

Only knocking back I do is with unwanted colonies, where the queen is due for nipping. Her brood can be of some use for mating nucs until such time new queens are laying and she can be replaced.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I bleed frames from nuc’d queens after splits. Nothing wrong with that

I do something similar with a double nuc.

 

[viridens]

A farmer beek I used to know swore that culling drones in spring by squashing as many as possible inhibited swarming by freeing up space in the hive. He used to pay his son to stand in front of the hives and dispatch them as they took off and landed. Has anyone else heard of that one?

 

[Erichalfbee]

A farmer beek I used to know swore that culling drones in spring by squashing as many as possible inhibited swarming by freeing up space in the hive. He used to pay his son to stand in front of the hives and dispatch them as they took off and landed. Has anyone else heard of that one?

BBKA module notes?

 

[Curly green finger's]

A farmer beek I used to know swore that culling drones in spring by squashing as many as possible inhibited swarming by freeing up space in the hive. He used to pay his son to stand in front of the hives and dispatch them as they took off and landed. Has anyone else heard of that one?

No, but that's the funniest thing I've heard for a while, you have painted a perfect picture.

 

[Erichalfbee]

No, but that's the funniest thing I've heard for a while, you have painted a perfect picture.

Why stop at drones? Squash anything that pokes its nose out. That would fix it.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Why stop at drones? Squash anything that pokes its nose out. That would fix it.

Nosey parkers.
Sorry it is a Friday

 

[GuyNir]

Why stop at drones? Squash anything that pokes its nose out. That would fix it.

Aye. That would free up more space

 

[Cuckmere couple]

I bleed frames from nuc’d queens after splits. Nothing wrong with that

Dani
Do you bleed capped brood rather than larvae and do you add to colonies before or after Q has emerged/mated?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Dani
Do you bleed capped brood rather than larvae and do you add to colonies before or after Q has emerged/mated?

Capped when the box gets congested. Replace with foundation but I take only what the nuc can spare

 

[Cuckmere couple]

Yup
I have a nuc with q laying on outer frames and wondering wether to hive her or donate!

And you donate to a requeening hive or a requeened hive?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yup
I have a nuc with q laying on outer frames and wondering wether to hive her or donate!

And you donate to a requeening hive or a requeened hive?

I only ever move from the nuc back to where she came from till they are built up