Swarm Prevention

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This post above came on the forum just as I was turning in last night but it's exactly the questions I would have asked if I'd had the courage.
CVB

Seeley suggests that one trigger for swarming may be the lengthening unloading times of the elder scout bees.....who then reckon it's time for house hunting. Not of much practical use unless you have a lot of time on your hands.

It's interesting that Finman's bees attempt to swarm before his main flow, which I think is roughly the equivalent of our summer flow.
We have an early spring rape flow and this usually coincides with the start of the swarming season.
So for those thinking to preempt, perhaps demarreeing when the rape comes into flower and the temperatures increase may be one way of judging it. Like most methods it won't be 100%
 
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BTW, when you insult people, you shouldn't act so surprised when people respond in kind.

Surprised ? Me ? Not at all ....thats why I rarely respond to the brickbats that get slung about ...and I try to keep the majority of MY posts as comments or observation from my beekeeping .. rather than pompous criticism or downright rudeness in some instances... I happily take being corrected but there's a few on here who just like to pick fault. You will rarely find a post of mine that says you MUST do something ... So ...Take from them what you will. If you don't like what is said ... Offer an alternative instead of just blathering ...


Late edit .. #141 above ..... You must have read my mind ... At last a modicum of advice ...
 
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. rather than pompous criticism or downright rudeness in some instances. If you don't like what is said ... Offer an alternative instead of just blathering ...

There you go again.....insulting remarks in reply to a post offering you some good advice in a polite and humorous manner.
 
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Trickering to swarming. Can't you understand that it is bees habit go propagate itself.
IT is sex thing.

But it is amazing, that hives in different places get swarming impulse at same time from something. IT means that hives has started to lay eggs into Queen cell cups a week earlier than swarm leaves.


But I has 3 different places in cottage yard. Back yard was calm and warm. Front yard was windy. Back hard hives started swarming one week earlier. They got second box after Winter one week earlier. IT is conected to the size of colony too. Biggest hives swarm first.

Then I had Carniolans 10 years. They swarmed 2-3 weeks earlier than Italians. Carniolan x Italian crossings swarmed between pure Italians and pure Carniolans.

Then there are hives which do not swarm. Some year 80% of hives swarm, and some year 20%.

Now I had hives which swarmed 120%. Even swarm swarmed 1,5 months later.
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I do not know what is trickering. What I know that I must get less swarmy bees and avoid mating daughters on areas, which have Carniolan bees.

My friend 0,5 km away has non swarmy bees. But I do not want yo play with inbreeding.


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Do stop being so patronising.


Well ... It took you until post #140 to come up with any advice and even then all you could do was quote Seeley ... So what did you expect ? At least I acknowledged that it was advice you were offering ...

You seem intent on having the last word so I'll bow out now ...you can say what you wish on the matter from now on ... I've thrown enough scraps over the side of the bridge ...

Time for a change of scenery ....
 
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Trickering to swarming. Can't you understand that it is bees habit go propagate itself.
IT is sex thing.

But it is amazing, that hives in different places get swarming impulse at same time from something. IT means that hives has started to lay eggs into Queen cell cups a week earlier than swarm leaves.

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Very interesting. It was your comment that your bees swarm before your main flow. Whilst in UK it usually coincides with our late spring Oil seed rape....possibly about the same time...give or take a few weeks or strains. The urge to breed at a time of year that gives the swarm a good chance of establishing itself for the next winter.
My local mongrels are the equivalent of your 115% swarmers, at least in the foothills of the North Yorks Moors. Not worth their winter sugar!
And different seasons do seem to produce different swarming rates.
 
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Our peak of swarming is about 25.6.
So they start 15.6. That is 6 weeks from the beginning of willow blooming start, and brood rearing starts.

Dandelion and everything stops blooming 10.6. Then we have blooming gap 2-3 weeks. That gap makes hives to swarm, when they do not have work to do.

If raspberry starts blooming 10 days earlier than normal, swarming is weak. Rainy and cold days add swarming.

My Italians stop swarming almost totally in July, when they have lots of blooming and work to do.

Carniolans do not follow any rules. They start swarming 3 weeks earlier than Italians even if their build up is as strong .

But Italian x Carniolan hybrids are strong . Big hives and big yields. They are masters. But their daughters are bad swarmers. They have got back original bee genes.

IT is 25 years when I had last Black Bees.
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IT is 25 years when I had last Black Bees.
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Wish it was 25 years since I had kept black mongrels!
Interesting swarming dates, not very far off our peak swarming season.
I think we get a little confused with the Oil Seed rape, which coincides with it. There was little or no spring oil seed rape 50 years ago in the UK....and IIRC it was late May-June that many of the "old" beekeepers quote swarm season.
Never tried equating it to flora but makes a lot of sense.I must keep a better floral diary with some nice pressed flowers!
 
Thank you all (well some for your input) my original question was about prevention and not control, the Demaree method answers my question perfectly and it seems pretty straight forward to me, my only concern would be getting the timing right but we all have to start somewhere and learn from our own mistakes which tend to be ingrained in the old grey matter, does anyone have any links/videos or names of authors who cover the Demaree method.
Thank you
Steve.
 
I think we get a little confused with the Oil Seed rape, which coincides with it. There was little or no spring oil seed rape 50 years ago in the UK....and IIRC it was late May-June that many of the "old" beekeepers quote swarm season.
Never tried equating it to flora but makes a lot of sense.I must keep a better floral diary with some nice pressed flowers!

IT was interesting to read about oils seed rape history. IT is connected to the change of life Style.

Oil is uses in salads, majonese, and many other new foods.

In USA, Europe and in Finland cultivation, has increased same way. Canada is biggest producer of seeds.

40 years rape has been my main yield. Spring rape is practically only variety in Finland. It means not much because out nature is full if flowers then when winter rape blooms.

Rape often stops the swarming period. Fields give to bees work as much they need.

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