Swarming. & 14x12s

[jonnybeegood]

For those with 14x12 hives, to prevent swarming & give bees more room, would you add a super for the queen to access to lay in, or would you add another 14x12 BB?

 

[Moggs]

You have misunderstood. Neither of these options make for effective swarm control. 2 x 14x12 is a humungous amount of room. Swarming is the natural way for bees to reproduce. You will not prevent it but you can control it, though not by your suggested means! Look up 'artificial swarm' or 'demaree'. Other methods are available.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jonnybeegood]

You have misunderstood. Neither of these options make for effective swarm control. 2 x 14x12 is a humungous amount of room. Swarming is the natural way for bees to reproduce. You will not prevent it but you can control it, though not by your suggested means! Look up 'artificial swarm' or 'demaree'. Other methods are available.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Bees swarm as a way to reproduce yes, if they are over crowded they will swarm, giving them room can help reduce the chance of swarming or at least put it off for longer. You dont need swarm control until they show signs of swarming unless you are doing preventative control. Giving them more room eill help.

 

[Moggs]

In which case, you may wish to add a 14x12. Or a super. (Why did you ask?)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[pargyle]

Bees swarm as a way to reproduce yes, if they are over crowded they will swarm, giving them room can help reduce the chance of swarming or at least put it off for longer. You dont need swarm control until they show signs of swarming unless you are doing preventative control. Giving them more room eill help.

There's a lot more to swarming than just limited space ... your question is not one that needs to be answered ...

 

[Hawklord]

I think there would be a weight issue using multiple 14 X 12's. Using a 14 X 12 and a super will give you the same space as 2 standard brood boxes.

 

[Hivemaker.]

to prevent swarming & give bees more room, would you add a super for the queen to access to lay in, or would you add another 14x12 BB?

Yes, run them on double 14x12, that should give them more room and prevent swarming.

 

[Finman]

.
If hive wants to swarm, it swarms even if you give to it 5 super.

Supers are need because colony grows bigger. In some moment it will hang on front wall outside.

This has no magic inside.

Long time ago I had a colony which had only 4 frames. It swarmed all the time during 2 years.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

You dont need swarm control until they show signs of swarming

What fool told you that? Demarree done properly is a preventative method,once they show 'signs of swarming' it's too late.
You can be proactive or reactive. Piling on more and more boxes won't prevent (or even delay that much) swarming you have to learn to read the bees

 

[jonnybeegood]

What fool told you that? Demarree done properly is a preventative method,once they show 'signs of swarming' it's too late.

By signs of swarming i was mesning eggs in wueen cells, its not too late then thats when you split your hive or whatever method you choose?

You can be proactive or reactive. Piling on more and more boxes won't prevent (or even delay that much) swarming you have to learn to read the bees

I wasnt mesning pile on more. & more boxes i was meanjng adding another box on top of the BB, my question was would it be better to add a 14x12 or a super meaning would it make much difference?

 

[jonnybeegood]

In which case, you may wish to add a 14x12. Or a super. (Why did you ask?)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ok my OP should have read HELP prevent swarming, not prevent swarming, what i mean is if you give them lots more room, could it delay swarming? They dont all swarm each year so surely it helps giving room too.

 

[Finman]

Ok my OP should have read HELP prevent swarming, not prevent swarming, what i mean is if you give them lots more room, could it delay swarming? They dont all swarm each year so surely it helps giving room too.

Believe me, adding room is not to prevent swarming. Bees need new space that they do not hang in open air.

It is like your children, you donate a big apartment and you think that your daughter and her boy friend do not start to make naughty things there.

 

[pargyle]

Ok my OP should have read HELP prevent swarming, not prevent swarming, what i mean is if you give them lots more room, could it delay swarming? They dont all swarm each year so surely it helps giving room too.

You need to think about reading your bees ... colonies need just enough space for their needs - too much and it slows them down as it's too much for them to heat and cope with - too little and you get the problems associated with restricted space - one of which is swarming. But, as JBG has said - proactive beekeeping is much more sensible ....

 

[alldigging]

Go to http://www.wbka.com/?page_id=186
and download a few of those and read them.

Especially:
Swarm Control: An Apiary Guide (Wally Shaw)
There Are Queen Cells In My Hive (WAG)

 

[Finman]

Go to http://www.wbka.com/?page_id=186
and download a few of those and read them.

Especially:
Swarm Control: An Apiary Guide (Wally Shaw)
There Are Queen Cells In My Hive (WAG)

Yes, it very good that every beginner read some books to get basic advices for beekeeping.

No need to discuss along the year, that colony needs a proper space, when colony size fluctustes.

 

[Finman]

If you have 5 frames of bees this time of year, and the rest frames are full of stores, it does need any skills, if you put on a super and excluder. It is dummy thing. You just put your bees into deep trouple.

But if you have 2 brood boxes and you do the samr trick with super, a big hive stand quite well that trick.

Only right thing in first case is take off extra stores, that colony can expand sooner or later.

 

[rogerb]

Ok my OP should have read HELP prevent swarming, not prevent swarming, what i mean is if you give them lots more room, could it delay swarming? They dont all swarm each year so surely it helps giving room too.

Hi Johnny, IMHO it depends on your bees; some it will work a treat and they will never swarm if given enough space and others it won’t help a bit. Queen age will also have an effect, the older she is the more likely she'll go.

Do you have swarmy bees or don’t you? If you know the answer to that question then the rest follows.

 

[madasafish]

Johnny
In my experience Queens aged under a year are unlikely to swarm unless their conditions are bad (not enough space, lack of food etc).

Queens older than a year may swarm - whatever you do -if they are a swarmy type of bee.

Queens that produce lots of QCs - my definition is more than ten - are swarmy..

And of course weather patterns play a big part as does forage etc.

All italics are my view of things.. others will differ..

 

[Finman]

They dont all swarm each year so surely it helps giving room too.

If you do not give more room in right time, every single hive will swarm.
Same happens, if hive is full of honey, every hive swarms.

In late summer swarming time is over. It is in bees' genes what they do and when.

 

[Finman]

They dont all swarm each year so surely it helps giving room too.

If you do not give more room in right time, every single hive will swarm.
Same happens, if hive is full of honey, every hive swarms. They may leave very quickly. They leave just eggs into queen cell cup.

In late summer swarming time is over. It is in bees' genes what they do and when.

It said that just mated queen do not swarm. But if hive is full, it surely swarms.

If you give too much room, colony suffers for cold and heat escape.

All this is called beekeeping.