Swarm control

[Obee1]

I've just moved 5 of my hives to a farmers field 7 miles from home and am wondering how much equipment to carry with me on visits. Should I discover swarm cells I was planning on doing a demaree - but how many spare brood boxes of comb/ foundation to carry round? Just noticed on a similar thread poly hive suggests just popping the queen in a nuc upon discovery of swarm cells. What would the nuc ideally consist of. How many brood frames/drawn combs/food. where should I place the nuc? Same apiary or move it 3 miles away? what is done with the original hive - do you need destroy cells? Assume it give up plans to swarm now queen is gone and they will raise emergency cells?

 

[Eyeman]

Hi
I keep a stack of spare supers, brood box of drawn comb, couple of empty brood boxes plus CB's and QE's under a couple of roofs and on solid floors at each out apiary. I also keep a x2 buckets (x2 holes in lid covered with mesh) with boots, hive tool, smoker & fuel, some queen cages: the buckets can be used to house a swarm, all be it on a temporary basis.
Allows me to visit those apiaries on my route home from work by bike with my bee jacket in the rucksac and still respond to any inspection findings.
Usually need to take the car to the apiary once a month or more to top up the stock or move bees.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Should I discover swarm cells I was planning on doing a demaree

If you find queen cells it's too late for a Demarree - it's a pro-active not reactive swarm avoidance system.

Just noticed on a similar thread poly hive suggests just popping the queen in a nuc upon discovery of swarm cells. What would the nuc ideally consist of. How many brood frames/drawn combs/food. where should I place the nuc? Same apiary or move it 3 miles away? what is done with the original hive - do you need destroy cells? Assume it give up plans to swarm now queen is gone and they will raise emergency cells?

The nuc needs one frame of stores - a frame ideally of emerging brood, the rest empty frames for the queen to lay in
If you're going to go down the route of a queen away nuc split consider a few things.
1) The nuc should be kept near the mother hive so the flying bees (the swarm instigators fly back there and not remain with the nuc. If you move the nuc more than three miles there is a good risk that the flyers left with the nuc will carry on with swarm preparations.
2) The mother hive will still be bursting with bees and may still want to swarm - you have to keep right on top of weeding out all but one queen cell in the hive, checking every couple of days for a week or more to ensure you catch each and every emergency QC they produce or they will swarm with the first virgin out.
3) you will lose some productivity with the mother hive as there will be a relatively long brood break waiting for the new queen to emerge, get mated, start laying and her first brood emerging.
4) Never assume anything -as ROB Manley said in his 1947 book 'beekeeping in Britain' (and even he attributed it to a regular lady correspondent to beekeeping publications in the 1920's)

'Bees do nothing invariably'​

 

[Obee1]

Thanks eyeman. I don't have any storage facilities in the farmers field - but it didn't occur to me to just stick some kit alongside the hives. Doh! I suppose there is always a risk of it getting stolen but if it is disguised as a beehive hopefully less likely to go walking.
I do have a lovely new bee mobile van but it's a pain loading stuff in and out every apiary visit.

 

[Cussword]

ROB Manley said in his 1947 book 'beekeeping in Britain' (and even he attributed it to a regular lady correspondent to beekeeping publications in the 1920's)

'Bees do nothing invariably'​

That's Poly Hive's Signature, doesn't he attribute it to " B. Mobus"?


.

 

[snelgrove]

yes I am sure bernard mobus said that not manley

 

[Hivemaker.]

Mrs Tupper.

 

[snelgrove]

Mrs Tupper.

Please explain I have never read beekeeping in britain by manley, even tho an avid fan

 

[Hivemaker.]

Please explain I have never read beekeeping in britain by manley, even tho an avid fan

Google.....bees do nothing invariably....Mrs Tupper.

 

[snelgrove]

Indeed Mrs Tupper

 

[Eyeman]

Hi Obee1
Been keeping kit at out apiaries for years and no more likely to get stolen than other hives.
Main bonus is I don't have to keep trying to find hiding places for all the kit at home . Something that goes down well with my other half.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

That's Poly Hive's Signature, doesn't he attribute it to " B. Mobus"?


.

yes I am sure bernard mobus said that not manley

Manley mentioned it in his book in 1947, attributed it to a lady who regularly contributed to beekeeping magazines in the 1920's but didn't mention her name and I never thought of googling it for some strange reason, but thanks to HM I now have a name . Mobus may have copied it later.

 

[Erichalfbee]

If you find queen cells it's too late for a Demarree - it's a pro-active not reactive swarm avoidance system.


The nuc needs one frame of stores - a frame ideally of emerging brood, the rest empty frames for the queen to lay in

A two frame nuc is a wonderful thing.
I frame of emerging brood with queen or queen cell. I frame food, three frames drawn comb. Swap the first frame with the food frame when the brood has emerged. I frame of brood will give you three frames of bees. Keep an eye on them as they will build very quickly

 

[Tremyfro]

A two frame nuc is a wonderful thing.
I frame of emerging brood with queen or queen cell. I frame food, three frames drawn comb. Swap the first frame with the food frame when the brood has emerged. I frame of brood will give you three frames of bees. Keep an eye on them as they will build very quickly

I love this.....it should be a sticky. Just such a clear explanation.

 

[BeeJayBee]

... may have copied it later.

Seems a common thing for some people to do these days, copy dead authors, but it's nothing new because the internet also tells us that Wedmore used the same phrase, "80 years ago" so maybe it became the in-thing to say?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Seems a common thing for some people to do these days, copy dead authors, but it's nothing new because the internet also tells us that Wedmore used the same phrase, "80 years ago" so maybe it became the in-thing to say?

Probably he'd read Mrs Tupper's articles as well - at least Manley had the decency to attribute it to her