Wally Shaw's snelgrove 2

[Tremyfro]

When I did swarm control on my hive....I put the queen on a frame and new foundation in the bottom box...then a solid cover board...then second box with all brood and queen cells....and a top entrance. We checked a few days later in case there were any new queen cells in the bottom box.....old queen was laying well.
Several more queen cells in the top box. We left them. On the last inspection...one queen cell was open...all the others still there...but when we checked some of them...all were dead. The virgin had seen to them.
Now we have combined the two boxes with the virgin and the old queen is in a nuc. Just waiting now for her to be mated...although she may already have been out.
I don't know whether we did this correctly or not...but we didn't want a second langstroth hive and that is why we kept both the boxes together.

 

[drex]

Hoping to find out how the non thinning down worked out. I am getting close to emergence of mine, which I have not thinned........

Am I right to just leave them alone and not inspect for about three weeks from when I made them queenless?

Don't want to look this weekend as I may damage queencells opening up the brood and a half. I'm at about day eight now.

The bees appear to have sorted it. Have eggs and unsealed brood. There were two emerged queen cells left , but I did not see any queen(s).

 

[Erichalfbee]

The bees appear to have sorted it. Have eggs and unsealed brood. There were two emerged queen cells left , but I did not see any queen(s).

Drex, how many days from repatriating the queen to eggs, would you say?

 

[drex]

I repatriated HM on 17/5/ and would say the new queen started to lay on about 6/6/ so about 20 days. Weather has been ideal for mating. Let's hope it is worker brood.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Thanks Drex, I'll make a note of that. It's useful to compare notes for this method. Quite a few doing it.
That's good going, BTW. I'm sure she'll be fine

 

[Brigsy]

Interesting indeed. Thanks. Just checked on my repatriated queen and she has started back laying. (Just a little mind) No emergency cells so hopefully that side is back in action. Now the wait for the q- side.

 

[Brigsy]

Without sidetracking this thread:

Why can we leave qc's on the Wally but if you do a Pagden its a recipe for casts?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Because you are not quite doing the same thing.
In a Pagden the queen is taken away from the brood.
In The modified Snelgrove the queen remains with the brood till the urge to swarm subsides.
The flying bees return to the AS
The flying bees are the ones that initiate swarming and there are none. The queen cells are torn down and the queen starts laying again.
Nine days later the queen is taken away and it's thought her reappearance in the AS and the fact that emergency QCs are made halts the swarming process there too

Have a look here.
Wally explains it
http://www.wbka.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Swarm-Control-Wally-Shaw.pdf

 

[Brigsy]

Thank you!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The QC's made in the brood box after removing the queen and putting her in with the flyers are emergency QC's made to replace a missing queen - not swarm cells, that and the absence of most of the flying bees reduces the urge to swarm. They are just making loads to ensure they get one good one - they'll sort out the rest.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Rather than letting those final emergency cells hatch can you remove and requeen with a mated queen ??

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes. Wait till near emergence before introducing her in a cage

 

[Brigsy]

Thanks. That explains it nicely. I have been using that document and have different bits laminated in my kit bag ready for emergencies!

 

[linoleum bonypart]

It's a great method....used it twice for the first time this year

 

[Erichalfbee]

Update on mine.
AS
16 days after queen was repatriated the bees are drawing the frames nicely and she is back laying well.

PARENT
I had a look in today
Phew.........
11 QCs open
Sprung the remaining 20 !!!!!!
Is that what Wally means by ..."No need to thin QCs, the bees will sort it out" ?

 

[Brigsy]

Wow. What did you do with them all? Any swarms and casts do you think? I'm due to check this coming weekend.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Wow. What did you do with them all? Any swarms and casts do you think? I'm due to check this coming weekend.

No I don't think any have gone. The weather has been bad. And if the oldest was made on old larvae she would only just have been flying. There are upwards of twenty running around in the hive. The bees WILL sort it now

 

[Brigsy]

Fight!

 

[Smudger55]

E,Q cells swarm

i have used this method two yrs running and this year , the one with the E,Q,Cells (stage two ) have almost swarmed themselves of no bees ,,,, and left a stumpy little Q when some that i saw were huge ...

 

[Obee1]

i have used this method two yrs running and this year , the one with the E,Q,Cells (stage two ) have almost swarmed themselves of no bees ,,,, and left a stumpy little Q when some that i saw were huge ...

You didn't leave them a copy of wally's leaflet did you!