Swarm Prevention

[Millet]

I have read a bit on swarm control and how to do split's/ how to collect a swarm / how to clip queen's and so on but i rarely see much detailed information on Swarm prevention..is they any easy solution's out there from the good folk on here who practice what they preach and have good result in swarm prevention.
Thank's
Steve.

 

[domino]

Prevention is a but misleading, it's more like management imho.

beebase has some very good guides to different methods - nationalbeeunit dot com

 

[B+.]

i rarely see much detailed information on Swarm prevention..is they any easy solution's out there from the good folk on here who practice what they preach and have good result in swarm prevention.

This may help https://youtu.be/Wm7RqXJD4_w?t=23m45s

 

[Millet]

This may help https://youtu.be/Wm7RqXJD4_w?t=23m45s

I do not have time now to go through them tutorial's/ vid's
properly BUT what i did see opened my eye's and got the old grey matter straining.. lol.
Thank you..
Steve.

 

[Finman]

.
MAAREC make difference between swarming perevention and cutting swarming fever.

Prevention means acts, how to avoid the swarming fever that bees do not start rear queen cells

Cutting swarming means, what to do, when swarming preparing has started.

There are lots of good letters in internet, what to do.
How advices work, it depends on beestrain, how eager they are to swarm. My hives has been so mad 2 years, that I started to change my genepool.

MAAREC is a consortion of 6 US universities.

If you love to play with method names, that will not help you
.

 

[Finman]

This may help https://youtu.be/Wm7RqXJD4_w?t=23m45s

Not good advice. I cannot recommend this. ACtually video did not tell, what happened.

Very easy, if it goes like this. But it does not.

Cutting swarming fever means that you make the colony feel that it had swarmed.
Very essential is that you put bees on foundations. Their only way is to draw foundations, and most artificial swarms start to draw combs next night. Some wait couple of days. Fever will be soon over, and you get in few days 1-2 boxes new combs.

Then there is a brood part of hive, which has swarming fever too.
IT needs own procedures.
But too early to handle it now. In spring things are acute.

 

[Hawklord]

Is there a method of swarm control that keeps the bees together without loss of queen, bees or honey? Everything I've tried splits the bees up and reduces the amount of honey collected.

 

[Finman]

Is there a method of swarm control that keeps the bees together without loss of queen, bees or honey? Everything I've tried splits the bees up and reduces the amount of honey collected.

When you do AS, you must join the hive parts that the hive keeps its balance forager/home workers.

As long as colony waits for swarm departure, it does not forage much.

What you can do: Inspect weekly and make an AS at once when you see queen cells or eggs in play cups.

Los of Queen.... Clipped hive. Make AS before Queen cells are capped. First depature usually happens when first Queen cells have been capped.

 

[Millet]

That's what i'm trying to find out Col.. everything i have read and watched mean's splitting the hive and doing artificial swarm's..surely they must be a good proven method that can stop them in there track's..

 

[Matt77]

I'm no expert Millet & still very much a beginner, but everything I've read seems to indicate that once a colony in minded to swarm it will swarm whatever we do.

 

[REDWOOD]

Something to read over the winter for beginners;
http://www.wbka.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/a012queencells.pdf

 

[pargyle]

Something to read over the winter for beginners;
http://www.wbka.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/a012queencells.pdf

+1 ... Really essential advice for all beekeepers ... the reality is that, as a Hobby beekeeper, swarm prevention is something of a myth. You are more likely to be responding to finding queen cells than trying to stop them building them.

Unless .. you keep small colonies, have bees that are not swarmy, re-queen annually with a new queen, make sure they have plenty of space and have God on your side ...

However, The Demaree Method will give you the best chance and one of the best write up's I've seen for this is:

http://countryrubes.com/images/Swarm_Prevention_By_Demaree_Method.pdf

 

[Erichalfbee]

Depending on the measures you take there is always the possibility of late swarming of a large colony you have been keeping on the tipping point of swarm preps.

 

[snelgrove]

I have read a bit on swarm control and how to do split's/ how to collect a swarm / how to clip queen's and so on but i rarely see much detailed information on Swarm prevention..is they any easy solution's out there from the good folk on here who practice what they preach and have good result in swarm prevention.
Thank's
Steve.

I don't think you can totally prevent swarming after all it is a natural part of bee behaviour. As swarming is the bees way of reproduction I think it is better to work with them with some kind of splitting giving them what they want Give plenty of room well in advance of the colony needs, give them foundation to draw and also young queens all part of prevention.

 

[Finman]

.
Nature's most important thing is reproduction. It is meaning of life. In bees it is called swarming.

Non swarming hive is a result of human selection, and it is againts nature's meaning.
From bulls and bigs a man cuts balls. That is human meaning.


So, what you do, when after one year's work 2 swarms leave and take with them the year's yield.

I cut the queen's wint and inspect every week to see, are they doing queen cells. If they have queen cells, I make AS with foundations.

Another way is to get non swarming bee strain. It is behind hard work and closed mating will soon suddenly give harms of inbreeding. I have had such but it is difficult way in small yard.

I have noticed better way to accept swarming, clipping and AS. It is better than try to keep unswarming genepool in small yard.


But there are big differencies inside´term "swarming". They are between mad and acceptable.

Even those who have non swarming beestock, they inspect the hives every week. At same time they look, does hive has honey to extract, does it need more space to nectar, space to bees, and so on.

I have a friend who does nothing. He picks swarms from lilac busch swarm after swarm, and that is his system. That level is enough to him.

Is any easy way to avoid swarming? With my 53 years experience the answer is NO. But you nurse your hive 12 months in a year and then you let them go. That is the most expencive way to keep bees.

To add space to the hive is nothing swarming preventing method. Forget it. It is not that easy.

.When the natural hive is rippen to swarm, it swarms. Nature calls. Big and best colonies first.

 

[Hawklord]

In an AS the bees are split and this is where the loss of honey occurs. I've tried the side ways AS along with the Horsley board, they both work but at the loss of honey.

 

[Finman]

In an AS the bees are split and this is where the loss of honey occurs. I've tried the side ways AS along with the Horsley board, they both work but at the loss of honey.

Join the hive parts when foundations have drawn. 5 days.

boath work? the brood parts has only young bees. It cannot forage surplus.

The swarm part is able to forage well during week, but then hive had brood and part of foragers start to nurse home. Brom brood part you get more home workers.

Of course you loss some yield in swarming, but not all.

Once I had 3 equal hives. Raspberry was in good bloom. Two hives brough each 140 lbs honey, but third hive had swarming fever and it got about 40 lbs.
.
Next two years hives got nothing in that place because nature was too dry to excrete nectar. Such is beekeeping.

.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

.


I have a friend who does nothing. He picks swarms from lilac busch swarm after swarm, and that is his system. That level is enough to him.

When the natural hive is rippen to swarm, it swarms. Nature calls. Big and best colonies first.

I know of somebody who uses this system. His main apiary is in a small mature apple orchard with lower tree branches within easy reach from the ground. When the bees swarm he knows where to look to find them - always in the apple trees, never in the hedge. His view is 'why do an artificial swarm when the bees will create a natural one, with the mix of foragers, nurse bees and drones chosen by them.' He loses few swarms from the apiary and is a successful beekeeper in terms of honey production. I on the other hand tried a fancy Snelgrove board manipulation this year and had no honey, although in fairness, the weather down here had some impact, with the local June gap lasting until the 3rd week of August and young queens being superseded with monotonous regularity. It takes all sorts ....

CVB

 

[Teebeeaitch]

I know of somebody who uses this system. His main apiary is in a small mature apple orchard with lower tree branches within easy reach from the ground. When the bees swarm he knows where to look to find them - always in the apple trees, never in the hedge. His view is 'why do an artificial swarm when the bees will create a natural one, with the mix of foragers, nurse bees and drones chosen by them.' He loses few swarms from the apiary and is a successful beekeeper in terms of honey production.


That is indeed the way to go. Also works beautifully for me.

 

[Hawklord]

Join the hive parts when foundations have drawn. 5 days.

boath work? the brood parts has only young bees. It cannot forage surplus.

The swarm part is able to forage well during week, but then hive had brood and part of foragers start to nurse home. Brom brood part you get more home workers.

Of course you loss some yield in swarming, but not all.

Once I had 3 equal hives. Raspberry was in good bloom. Two hives brough each 140 lbs honey, but third hive had swarming fever and it got about 40 lbs.
.
Next two years hives got nothing in that place because nature was too dry to excrete nectar. Such is beekeeping.

.

So if I do an AS as per Pagden, 5 days later I knock all queen cells down, and unite back to the old queen using the paper method?