Swarmy bees

[Gaz1]

Seen it mentioned a few times, maybe on the same thread!? But why did old bee keepers want swarmy bees? Why was the thought process different back then?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Seen it mentioned a few times, maybe on the same thread!? But why did old bee keepers want swarmy bees? Why was the thought process different back then?

they used Skeps -the caught swarms replaced the colonies they killed to get the honey

 

[Into the lions den]

Seen it mentioned a few times, maybe on the same thread!? But why did old bee keepers want swarmy bees? Why was the thought process different back then?

Because they heavily reduced their number at season end to get all the available honey and wax, either by drumming to drive the bees out and into other skeps, or simply by gassing.

They need the swarming tendency to refill all the empty skeps.

 

[B+.]

Seen it mentioned a few times, maybe on the same thread!? But why did old bee keepers want swarmy bees? Why was the thought process different back then?

Old time beekeepers often used straw skeps. They drove the bees out and killed the brood in late summer so they could take the honey.
To maintain/increase their colony numbers, they relied on bees swarming. I have a copy of some interesting IWF videos on YouTube here (prime swarms https://youtu.be/Ei8SY44aLjI and cast swarming https://youtu.be/S8i-Rf6_caU). You may like to take a look at them sometime.

 

[For want of a better word]

Hence the old rhyme......
A swarm of bees in May etc etc
Nos da

 

[Gaz1]

Cheers for the link will have watch the rest when I get the chance! So different to now!

 

[B+.]

Cheers for the link will have watch the rest when I get the chance! So different to now!

Not so much. I see the parallels between what they did and what we do now all of the time. Certainly, there are a few superficial differences, but, its fundamentally the same. Watch the one about heather honey, or the one about wax processing. There's hardly any difference at all.

 

[Gaz1]

Will do! it was the cast swarms bit which I was watching interesting stuff thanks

 

[oliver90owner]

Do remember that the principle applied equally to young beekeepers as older ones - back in the years of skip usage!