Swarm control.

[eddiespangle]

Despite my best efforts to insect my bees every week throughout the summer I lost a few swarms – I must do better next year. There must be a better way than haphazardly scanning the brood combs for QCs. Next year I’m considering turning my brood boxes every 6 days or so in an effort to kill queen larvae in their cells. Anyone tried this before – will it work?

 

[VEG]

Why will turning the hive kill the queen cells?

 

[enrico]

What? Upside down!?

 

[Poly Hive]

The clue is in the word haphazard.

Be systematic.

Will your idea work. No.

PH

 

[Finman]

.
To break queencells leads to swarm escaping or catastrophy.

Only efficient way is to clip the wing and false swarm

clipping stops quick escape.

False swarm stops swaming fever and the queen continues laying and produce foragers.

*llllllll*

breaking queen cells leads to situation that the queen does not lay and foragers do not forage.
The hive is paralyzed and waits only swarming escape.

Bees have skill to hidden a queencell, and one day they get a virgin and leave your lowsy yard.

 

[eddiespangle]

I agree that a more methodical approach would help. But will turning a queen cell through 180 degrees kill the proto-queen – I’ve heard of a German system which rotated the brood chamber through 360 degrees every 24 hours.

 

[Poly Hive]

Good grief.

I suggest you stick to more British methods...lol

PH

 

[Mike a]

There must be a better way than haphazardly scanning the brood combs for QCs. Next year I’m considering turning my brood boxes every 6 days or so in an effort to kill queen larvae in their cells. Anyone tried this before – will it work?

Sorry to be blunt but if you're haphazardly inspecting and couldn't find the queencells during the weekly inspections then I'm not sure that trying something different is going to solve your problems.

By the sounds of what you've said you are thinking of turning the brood boxes I can only guess you mean turn them upside down. Sounds interesting but have you considered how you are going to do this so the frames don't all fall out or the frames don't lean over against the hive wall let alone the specific way bees like their nest arranged with honey at the top, a arc of pollen then the brood cells and not forgetting the cells are built at a slight upward angle to help hold the fresh watery nectar to stop it dripping out before its processed and moved upwards...

Could you explain a little more of what you have in mind please because from what you've said it sounds like to you want to upset every thing they do naturally just to stop them from swarming.


The nearest thing I can think which matches what you've said is this electric hive which spins the frames very slowly.

I have no idea what happened when it was used but hopefully beebreeder might be able to help.

 

[Finman]

.

To stop swarms to escape is a simple system

when you see first queen cells in the hive, don't try to break them

- move a hive 10 feet.
- put a foundation hive on old site
- put inside oe frame of brood and queen.

Bees fly soon to the foundation hive and they start to draw combs after a day or two.
So they believe that they have swarmed.

For honey yield hive parts must be joined again.

There is no simplier systemto avoid swarming losses.

A big loss is when colony waits for leaving and they do not work and the queen deminish its laying.
With false swarm these are over soon.

.

 

[psafloyd]

Despite my best efforts to insect my bees every week throughout the summer I lost a few swarms – I must do better next year. There must be a better way than haphazardly scanning the brood combs for QCs. Next year I’m considering turning my brood boxes every 6 days or so in an effort to kill queen larvae in their cells. Anyone tried this before – will it work?

You're not looking for QCs. You're looking for brood, stores, disease, signs of the colony being queenright. Destroying queen cells will ensure only one thing; that your bees will swarm. Either manage the swarming instinct, or let them swarm.

By the way, love the "insect my bees every week".

 

[ratcatcher]

You're not looking for QCs. You're looking for brood, stores, disease, signs of the colony being queenright. Destroying queen cells will ensure only one thing; that your bees will swarm. Either manage the swarming instinct, or let them swarm.

By the way, love the "insect my bees every week".

sorry to butt in, but my mentor is on his hols at the moment, on inspecting the hive today, of a cast swarm hived back in beginning july, I have eggs,larvae,capped brood and capped stores, and at the back of hive, a single peanut shaped queen cell in middle of frame, cannot see anything inside it (uncapped) so, if I remove this, they will just build another??
tips what to do
did'nt expect a cast swarm to want to swarm this year, the queen is marked and clipped

 

[Finman]

did'nt expect a cast swarm to want to swarm this year, the queen is marked and clipped

or did it tried to change the queen?

 

[Finman]

.
Preventing swarming is complicatedthing. To beginner and to 2-hive owner it is impossible.
But if the hive is so weak, it does not swarm

but when used false swarm years, you cant trust 90% of cases. It is much more better figure than 30% escapes or 60% escapes. 90% needs that you have clipped wings.


Okay. You may tell thousand exception to that , but it debends too how much a beekeeper has experince to read what is happening in the hive.

Hives are very different in their actions and reactions.

.but if you love humbug.....go for it!.....like those upside down machines.

.

 

[Finman]

.
To ensure swarming, take virgins from swarm cells and keep swarmed queen in the hive.


there are bees which are
- mad swarming
- normal swarming
- slow swarming

 

[psafloyd]

sorry to butt in, but my mentor is on his hols at the moment, on inspecting the hive today, of a cast swarm hived back in beginning july, I have eggs,larvae,capped brood and capped stores, and at the back of hive, a single peanut shaped queen cell in middle of frame, cannot see anything inside it (uncapped) so, if I remove this, they will just build another??
tips what to do
did'nt expect a cast swarm to want to swarm this year, the queen is marked and clipped

If there is noting in it, it isn't a queen cell. Keep an eye on it, but would have thought any serious attempt to requeen would be done nearer the centre of the brood to keep it warm. No doubt you will get a better response shortly.

 

[Finman]

a single peanut shaped queen cell in middle of frame, cannot see anything inside

now I read...empty queen cell cup...

Forget it. It mens nothing.

.

 

[oliver90owner]

I note the OP has more than one hive format. I wonder if there was a difference in swarming activity between the hive types. I would expect there was, but may not have been noticed by the inexperienced.

 

[Finman]

I note the OP has more than one hive format. I wonder if there was a difference in swarming activity between the hive types. I would expect there was, but may not have been noticed by the inexperienced.

experienced guys say that horizontal long hives swarm more because bees are not able to handle horizontal enlargening.

Beekeepers habits make more swarming that hive type. If you just throw and empty box on he top of the hive, and do not mind put it between brood and honey, you surely get swarms.



But now, this hive is not going to swarm.
.