Swarm Control - clipping wings

[For want of a better word]

Not really.
The bees that help her get established will have come from other colonies. You have to wait until they're all dead

Testing of the queen rearer's patience..... ???

Yeghes da

 

[buzz]

Testing of the queen rearer's patience..... ???

Yeghes da

If you think about it an inspection at 7 day intervals is far too long. The timing from an egg hatching to being sealed as a queen cell is 6 days.
Always catches me out....LOL

Hang on! When I inspect for swarm prevention I inspect any queen cups for larvae AND eggs. This gives me the ability to inspect at a maximum of 8 or 9 days intervals (2-3 day as eggs, 6 days as uncalled larva).

I have never before heard anyone mention 6-day inspections.

 

[Beefriendly]

Hang on! When I inspect for swarm prevention I inspect any queen cups for larvae AND eggs. This gives me the ability to inspect at a maximum of 8 or 9 days intervals (2-3 day as eggs, 6 days as uncalled larva).

I have never before heard anyone mention 6-day inspections.

And you can tell the exact age of the eggs in the queen cups?
6 days from hatching to sealed queen cell and the accepted mantra is 7 day inspections.
Suggest you ask the 7 dayers why they say 7 days. ......

 

[buzz]

Why do I need to know the age of the egg in the queen cup? If I inspect every 8-9 days (taking down any queen cups with eggs or larvae as necessary) I should never get an unexpected sealed queen cell.

 

[Repwoc]

And you can tell the exact age of the eggs in the queen cups?

I think eggs in queen cups is a pretty good indication of their intentions.

 

[Beefriendly]

I think eggs in queen cups is a pretty good indication of their intentions.

Really.....I find they (the eggs) are often removed on next inspection.

 

[Beefriendly]

Why do I need to know the age of the egg in the queen cup? If I inspect every 8-9 days (taking down any queen cups with eggs or larvae as necessary) I should never get an unexpected sealed queen cell.

I bow to your mastery of destroying every single queen cup with eggs in it.
For us mere mortals the timing is as I stated

 

[Repwoc]

Really.....I find they (the eggs) are often removed on next inspection.

Couldn't say - I never give them the opportunity.

 

[buzz]

I bow to your mastery of destroying every single queen cup with eggs in it.
For us mere mortals the timing is as I stated

Errrr. If you miss any occupied queen cup (egg or larva) on your 6-day inspections you may well lose a swarm. So your point is? 3-day inspections for the hard of seeing! If you are that worried just remove all the queen cups.

I have issue with your assertion that "If you think about it an inspection at 7 day intervals is far too long".

I have thought about it, and I believe this statement is misleading. Inspections disrupt the hive and should only be done when there is a need. 7 day inspections work for those who work a regular standard week and are easier to remember, otherwise every 8-9 days is best IMHO.

 

[Beefriendly]

I have issue with your assertion that "If you think about it an inspection at 7 day intervals is far too long".

.

That would be your problem.
If you can find any fallacy in my reasoning please elucidate the rest of us.

 

[citrus]

wonder what percentage of beekeepers clip the wings of the q ?

If i keep inspection intervals down to <=6 days (they are at the end of the garden) ... then I can carry on as I am (not clipping) ... ?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Why do I need to know the age of the egg in the queen cup? If I inspect every 8-9 days (taking down any queen cups with eggs or larvae as necessary) I should never get an unexpected sealed queen cell.

So to add to the cohorts of beekeepers by numbers we can now add beekeeping by blind optimism.
Inspecting every 8-9 and taking down any QC, if the bees want to swarm and keep getting thwarted they will just pick an older (over 3 days) larvae, flood it with royal jelly, extend it downwards so when you next inspect, not only will you find capped QC's but very few eggs, no queen and a depleted colony.

 

[Ian123]

So to add to the cohorts of beekeepers by numbers we can now add beekeeping by blind optimism.
Inspecting every 8-9 and taking down any QC, if the bees want to swarm and keep getting thwarted they will just pick an older (over 3 days) larvae, flood it with royal jelly, extend it downwards so when you next inspect, not only will you find capped QC's but very few eggs, no queen and a depleted colony.

spot on!!!!!!!

 

[B+.]

So to add to the cohorts of beekeepers by numbers we can now add beekeeping by blind optimism.
Inspecting every 8-9 and taking down any QC, if the bees want to swarm and keep getting thwarted they will just pick an older (over 3 days) larvae, flood it with royal jelly, extend it downwards so when you next inspect, not only will you find capped QC's but very few eggs, no queen and a depleted colony.

Also, if you should happen to have "lost" the queen, you will have killed your colony because they no longer have the means to produce a new one.
If you see eggs, all well-and-good, but if you ignore them and just look for queen cells, you won't be a beekeeper for long.

 

[buzz]

So to add to the cohorts of beekeepers by numbers we can now add beekeeping by blind optimism.
Inspecting every 8-9 and taking down any QC, if the bees want to swarm and keep getting thwarted they will just pick an older (over 3 days) larvae, flood it with royal jelly, extend it downwards so when you next inspect, not only will you find capped QC's but very few eggs, no queen and a depleted colony.

JBM. You misunderstand the gist of my posts. The key word in my last post is "unexpected". Regular 7-day inspections would usually give one some idea that swarming was imminent, and other measures are necessary pdq.
My beef with Beefriendly is his/her assertion that 7-days is FAR too long between inspections and that inspections must be done every 6 days... that is all.

 

[foghornleghorn]

And you can tell the exact age of the eggs in the queen cups?
6 days from hatching to sealed queen cell and the accepted mantra is 7 day inspections.
Suggest you ask the 7 dayers why they say 7 days. ......

Really though if you want to be sure you should inspect everyday and take corrective action at the sign of eggs.



It's a myth that bees swarm on the day the first cell is capped.

 

[Beefriendly]

My beef with Beefriendly is his/her assertion that 7-days is FAR too long between inspections and that inspections must be done every 6 days... that is all.

You need to learn to read properly. Nowhere have I stated inspections MUST be done at 6 day intervals.
I have presented reasons why 7 day inspections are the wrong time interval.
If you cannot understand that it only takes 6 days from egg hatching to capped queen cell and swarm long gone and that this 6 day time interval does not = 7 days then gawd help us.

 

[Beefriendly]

It's a myth that bees swarm on the day the first cell is capped.

Yes I know, they can sometimes go before it is capped. Although day of capping = day of fine warm weather then off they jolly well go.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

JBM. You misunderstand the gist of my posts. The key word in my last post is "unexpected". Regular 7-day inspections would usually give one some idea that swarming was imminent, and other measures are .

Blindly ripping down QC's, expected or not, and however accurately you think you know the age of every egg isn't beekeeping. I think you are just kidding yourself

 

[foghornleghorn]

Yes I know, they can sometimes go before it is capped. Although day of capping = day of fine warm weather then off they jolly well go.

Have mostly found they were happy to wait a few days after capping cells even in apparently perfect weather to go, but have got caught out with them leaving only eggs also