- Joined
- Nov 9, 2018
- Messages
- 1,014
- Reaction score
- 961
- Location
- Rainham, Medway (North Kent) UK
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 44 plus 17 managed for another
Quote: Makes you wonder how commercial beekeepers ever manage to get any honey from all these diseased colonies that aren’t getting shook swarmed or Baileyed? Unquote.
The above (ironic) comment by Erichalfbee yesterday got me thinking: apart from comb changing (Bailey and shook swarm), and painting hives, are there any other significant differences between the beekeeping practices of small-scale and large-scale beekeepers?
Queen raising is done differently and there are differences of size of equipment and volume when it comes to extraction. But what about swarm control? Do you think there a different mentality, or philosophy between these two kinds of beekeeping? How much can small-scale beekeepers learn from the way things are done when the number of colonies is so much greater?
The above (ironic) comment by Erichalfbee yesterday got me thinking: apart from comb changing (Bailey and shook swarm), and painting hives, are there any other significant differences between the beekeeping practices of small-scale and large-scale beekeepers?
Queen raising is done differently and there are differences of size of equipment and volume when it comes to extraction. But what about swarm control? Do you think there a different mentality, or philosophy between these two kinds of beekeeping? How much can small-scale beekeepers learn from the way things are done when the number of colonies is so much greater?