Stopping a colony from swarming

[Curly green finger's]

We inspected our hives last weekend and found that one colony which is on double brood was jam packed with bees, and although we could not see any queen cells or cups there was a lot of drone brood dotted about and on an entire side of one frame. We added some supers to give them additional space, but we are going to take steps this weekend to try and ensure that they do not swarm.

We are considering a 'modified' Pagden artificial swarm. Modified because we will not be able to do the Day 7 manipulation to move the hive in the new location (with the old colony and new queen) to the other side of the hive in the original position with queen and flying bees. Is this much of an issue? Could we just start the new hive with say two combs of brood from the original hive?

We thought that this method would have more of a feel to it in terms of an artificial swarm than the other suggestion we were given that was just separate the two brood boxes and let them get on with it. The queen will be in one and they will crack on knowing there is a smaller colony, and the brood box without the queen will raise emergency queen cells. This does sound attractive because we are rubbish at spotting queens, but I suppose if the broodbox without the queen ends up in the new location that colony will be depleted by flying bees returning to the old location.

Does anybody have any firm views on this modified Pagden, just splitting the boxes, or if doing an artificial swarm before the bees have started actually making queen cells is an issue or not.

Thank you in advance for any helpful advice.

Try pyramiding your double brood instead, you spread the brood over both boxes with comb flanking each box with all capped brood in the centre.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Did you give foundation or drawn comb in the supers

Are the super frames drawn comb or foundation?

OK, I'll expand on the subject: if you give foundation bees will not draw comb fast enough to prevent nectar clogging BB combs. If that occurs, swarming is more likely.

On the other hand, if you give drawn comb in the supers bees will dump nectar there immediately and avoid congesting the BBs.

Which did you give?

 

[jarmo henttu]

We inspected our hives last weekend and found that one colony which is on double brood was jam packed

Does anybody have any firm views on this modified Pagden, just splitting the boxes, or if doing an artificial swarm before the bees have started actually making queen cells is an issue or not.

I think that it is your best hive and you are going to spoil its development.

Two combs is not padgen split.

Then from where you get another laying queen. 2 combs and laying queen means nothing for the development of forager bees.

Your calculation are far from practical.

The padgen method is used for cutting the swarming fever that the flying bees think that they have swarmed. To take off 2 combs from hive has no meaning.

To prevent swarming it would be usefull to give to the one box of foundations to the hive over the brood box.