swarm Prevention

[Swarm]

Would you do a 14x12 double brood boxes..or is that a tad ambitious... I like the idea..

A tad heavy.

 

[For want of a better word]

That is their habit to do.

Then that is 4000 bees?

 

[Finman]

Then that is 4000 bees?

From where you got that figure?
Langstroth box cannot have 40 000 bees.


One frame is 2000 bees. 2 kg swarm occupyes one langstroth box. 4 kg occupy 2 langstroth boxes.

10 000 swarm bees is 1.7 kg.

10 000 ordinary bees is 1.2 kg.

I have not counted thousands of bees. I have weighed them with balance.

 

[ASPIRERITE]

Would you do a 14x12 double brood boxes..or is that a tad ambitious... I like the idea..

I wouldn't go two 14x12 I would use one 14x12 and use bs broods for supers and give them a bs brood if they need it. If you have good genetics a queen can lay in as many as four bs broods. If using bs broods for brood boxes and supers you can have hives go as many as 10 boxes high but that's not practical. But that depends on location and genetics. This guy uses a his own boxes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyZ-5AjXfHE

 

[Redcap]

I wouldn't go two 14x12 I would use one 14x12 and use bs broods for supers and give them a bs brood if they need it. If you have good genetics a queen can lay in as many as four bs broods. If using bs broods for brood boxes and supers you can have hives go as many as 10 boxes high. But that depends on location and genetics. This guy uses a his own boxes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyZ-5AjXfHE

I like the idea... will give it a try...cheers

 

[ASPIRERITE]

are all your supers brood box size ?
It sounds useful to be able to swap frames around

Yes I have normal supers but I've never used them because it doesn't make sense to me because I'm strong enough to lift a brood box full of honey. Why use a super when I can make things simpler. I sell my old supers with hives I sell to get rid of them

 

[Finman]

Why use a super when I can make things simpler.

I have always used langstroth frames and medium frames. Mediums are fast to uncap and they may be extracted with faster speed.

To use mediums as brood box is not very good idea. But I use them all mixed.
I use three langstroths as brood boxes. Lowest is mostly pollen store.

 

[ASPIRERITE]

I like the idea... will give it a try...cheers����

Your welcome. I have a few 14x12s and that's what I've done with them, but I'm going to sell them because I found the system I like with all British standards and I've always got a surplus of drawn brood frames for as many splits as I like because I use them as supers. That increases the speed of the build up of splits too

 

[Ian123]

Dont think i will be looking at those bees in my shorts.......

 

[sean-a]

Would you do a 14x12 double brood boxes..or is that a tad ambitious... I like the idea..

Until you try and lift it off the hive to have a look in the brood....

 

[ASPIRERITE]

I have always used langstroth frames and medium frames. Mediums are fast to uncap and they may be extracted with faster speed.

To use mediums as brood box is not very good idea. But I use them all mixed.
I use three langstroths as brood boxes. Lowest is mostly pollen store.

I haven't had a problem but its all I've used. Have you tried a uncapping roller?

 

[ASPIRERITE]

Anyway this guy can explain the principle better than I can on a forum. He just made his own size box for obvious reasons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMcBiCcuC8w

 

[ASPIRERITE]

Dont think i will be looking at those bees in my shorts.......

Bigger Hives are more defensive but I think he's using local bees not bees reared for temperament. I like Buckfast and renew queens in every hive each year but my main mother queens I use are really good

 

[For want of a better word]

Bigger Hives are more defensive but I think he's using local bees not bees reared for temperament. I like Buckfast and renew queens in every hive each year but my main mother queens I use are really good

Hives 0... requeen every year with Buckfasts***... bigger hives (colonies) are more defensive... LOCATION?

Cloud Cuckoo Land ???

Requeening from my own rather limited experience even of so called Buckfast bees does not prevent swarming!!

Bigger hives are more defensive?

Going COMMERCIAL !!

Oh dear..........................

 

[Stiffy]

Bigger Hives are more defensive but I think he's using local bees not bees reared for temperament. I like Buckfast and renew queens in every hive each year but my main mother queens I use are really good

Local bees are not necessarily defensive, some beekeepers are active in keeping quiet bees.
It may seem like it at times but bigger hives are not necessarily defensive, it’s just a larger mass of bees. If you are looking to go commercial, large hives are the very thing you will require, more bees more honey. I requeen my Buckfast when the queen starts to fail. I also replace locally mated queens if they have picked up unwelcome traits of the mongrel drones kept near my hives. Most queens, if productive though will last 3 years before requiring requeening.
S

 

[Finman]

Bigger hives can feel more defensive ( my experience) . If the hive is angry, it becomes more angry and angry, because inspection or robbing honey takes more time. The colony is irritated longer time. More sting are odoring in my hands and clothes.

But as a rule, big hives are not more defensive than small hives. It depends, do you replace the queen or not when you notice it. What ever queen may be evil, and then you replace it with spare queen.

 

[Swarm]

Hives 0... requeen every year with Buckfasts***... bigger hives (colonies) are more defensive... LOCATION?

Cloud Cuckoo Land ???

Requeening from my own rather limited experience even of so called Buckfast bees does not prevent swarming!!

Bigger hives are more defensive?

Going COMMERCIAL !!

Oh dear..........................

Ditto.

 

[ASPIRERITE]

Hives 0... requeen every year with Buckfasts***... bigger hives (colonies) are more defensive... LOCATION?

Cloud Cuckoo Land ???

Requeening from my own rather limited experience even of so called Buckfast bees does not prevent swarming!!

Bigger hives are more defensive?

Going COMMERCIAL !!

Oh dear..........................

I never said requeening prevents swarming and yes its easy to requeen every year with Buckfast. Bigger hives seem more defensive to me maybe because you get more bees have a go if they get a bit defensive if the weather is cool or they are low on stores. I requeen because I like the vigour of new queens and I like new queens in overwintering hives. Just because you don't do it that way doesn't make it the wrong way

 

[For want of a better word]

I never said requeening prevents swarming and yes its easy to requeen every year with Buckfast. Bigger hives seem more defensive to me maybe because you get more bees have a go if they get a bit defensive if the weather is cool or they are low on stores. I requeen because I like the vigour of new queens and I like new queens in overwintering hives. Just because you don't do it that way doesn't make it the wrong way

Why ask questions when obviously you already know all the answers?

 

[ASPIRERITE]

Why ask questions when obviously you already know all the answers?

I don't have the answer to every question were all learning. That's what learning is all about trying new things and finding the best way for you. And if someone gives me 5 answers Ill often try 5 different things to see what works best even if that means trying something ten people shot down