Lets discuss swarm control

[MuswellMetro]

what AS do i do

i normally inspect at midday and on first charged cell or before in good weather/flow, i take out the queen and two14x12 brood frames and one of stores,and place with three 14x12 foundation frames into a 6 frame 14x12 nuc box (almost as large a volume as a standard brood box) then place the nuc next to the old brood facing the same way

i then turn the old 14x12 through 90 degrees and destroy all cups/Q cells except two, add three new foundation frames

after five or six weeks and proof i have a live laying queen i change the old hive to face forward and then combine or rehouse the old queen in the nuc in a new 14x12 hive

ok not the correct method but better than some i have witnessed such as just taking out frames with charged cells on them and placing in a nuc, in the hope of stoping further QC in the old hive

 

[Liam C Ryan]

New beek, what is A/S

 

[tonybloke]

New beek, what is A/S

see here http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=272

 

[oliver90owner]

Post #12, if it's just the acronym.

RAB

 

[oliver90owner]

MM,

You may consider it better than some you have witnessed, but why not simply do it the 'standard' way which has been tried, tested, and sorted out to the fine details as the best method?

We can see a few down-sides; like squeezing all flying bees into a box only half the size from whence they came, that nuc not swarming before five weeks has passed (space), nowhere to store the collected nectar by that strong foraging force, to give just three down-sides.

All those are avoided with the standard method. Agreed it is likely more effective than removal of swarm cells from a colony (already in swarm mode), but is certainly not the ideal.

When the colony goes into swarm mode it can change it's collective mind. The beekeeper trying to change the aspirations of 50 000 bees in a crowded brood box is futile in most instances. That is why we artificially swarm them; they think they have achieved their goal (of swarming) and the swarming instinct is satisfied.

I like to think that my bees are doing what they want (while making relatively small adjustments to encourage them in the desired direction), not giving them an ultimatum, which almost always is rejected by the bees and then causes more trouble than a lot of beekeepers have time to sort out. KISS principle in operation at all possible times.

Regards, RAB

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

what AS do i do

and then combine or rehouse the old queen in the nuc in a new 14x12 hive

Quick (and probably very stupid) question MM - if rehousing the old queen in a new hive (assuming not in the same spot as the nuc or over 3 miles away), is it just un-orientated nurse bees that go in with her, leaving the foragers to return to the old hive?

 

[MuswellMetro]

Quick (and probably very stupid) question MM - if rehousing the old queen in a new hive (assuming not in the same spot as the nuc or over 3 miles away), is it just un-orientated nurse bees that go in with her, leaving the foragers to return to the old hive?

Monsieur Abeille

if i need a new split I do a midnight flit with the Nuc temporarily 3miles to my garden so foragers and all nurse bees go with any new hive, i have done it on a nearby site by moving them late evening and shutting them in for 36+ hours and branch over entrance, it worked ok

RAB

i 'm on a horse stud farm and not near OSR so my spring forage is not great and RARELY do my italian bees fill out 5 frames let alone 6 frames in the Nuc i before i recombine

BUt having said that i have got an extra two new 14x12 brood boxes from Tom Bick and have spare roofs and floors so i was anyway thinking of do the artificial swarm dance with one and a under one roof snelgrove swarm with the other but using a floor rather than snelgrove board, ( should get the muscle taunt lift that)

i can see how they work on my tight site and compare it to my nuc method,