When to Demaree?

[Paulypaul]

I have 2 or 3 colonies covering all frames. All my colonies are on a brood-and-a-half winter config - I want to nadeer the supers.
Bees are out ever day.

First dandelions are in bloom. Forecast is for 13C daytime temperatures from next weekend.

Due to current low daytime temperatures, I haven't yet pulled out any frames. I'll pop tops off hives today and have a sneak peak down the frames with a torch to check brood volumes.

Might Demareeing next weekend be OK?

 

[Wilco]

I have 2 or 3 colonies covering all frames. All my colonies are on a brood-and-a-half winter config - I want to nadeer the supers.
Bees are out ever day. First dandelions are in bloom. Forecast is for 13C daytime temperatures from next weekend.

Due to current low daytime temperatures, I haven't yet pulled out any frames. I'll pop tops off hives today and have a sneak peak down the frames with a torch to check brood volumes.

Might Demareeing next weekend be OK?

What are the overnight temperatures due to be? Seems very early, I'd be waiting until I see lots of drone brood being produced at the very least. I tend to view that as the first warning.

Bees on all frames is very different to brood on 8+ frames.

Best not poke around just yet, it's only early March. Patience!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

way way too early, covering frames means nothing, frames full of brood is the only clear indicator - have a look here:

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/demaree.46464/

 

[Swarm]

I have 2 or 3 colonies covering all frames. All my colonies are on a brood-and-a-half winter config - I want to nadeer the supers.
Bees are out ever day.

First dandelions are in bloom. Forecast is for 13C daytime temperatures from next weekend.

Due to current low daytime temperatures, I haven't yet pulled out any frames. I'll pop tops off hives today and have a sneak peak down the frames with a torch to check brood volumes.

Might Demareeing next weekend be OK?

Why do you want to Demarree?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Might Demareeing next weekend be OK?

I very much doubt it.
I have been using Demaree for 12 years now. I think about it when there is brood on most frames and there are drones flying.
I doubt that more spring bees are emerging than winter bees dying yet

 

[drex]

I am even further south than the OP. Today it is sunny for once and I will be observing and hefting my hives for first time in a fortnight. I doubt I will open them for several more weeks, let alone move any frames about

 

[user 819]

Most of the experienced beeks on here wouldn't entertain such ideas this early let alone think of them.
Brood is certainly ramping up at the mo but with winter bee die off yet to occur one will need at least wait until May to carry out such a strategy.
Splitting the brood now will be detrimental to colony expansion and survival , massive heat loss and lack of bees to keep any new brood warm and fed. And that is the crux of the issue the food will disappear double quick leading to starvation.
The average daytime temps are nowhere near into double digits for a settled period and between14.00/15.00 - 10.00/11.00 are very chilly and colder in the darker hours.
One or two days of brighter maybe warmer double digit temps doesn't make it summer or early warm spring by a long chalk yet.

 

[user 819]

Forecast for the S/E for the month of March is a mixed bag of conditons , average temps 11/13c with lows of 4/5c . Certainly not time to be messing with the bees , the best one can expect to do is heft and make sure they have stores or feed fondant if light.

Locally one will see some variations but nowhere near warm settled temps .

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

frost here last night and snow on the bannau this morning

 

[user 819]

frost here last night and snow on the bannau this morning

Almost Demeree weather then going by some people's reckoning !!!!

 

[user 819]

I have 2 or 3 colonies covering all frames. All my colonies are on a brood-and-a-half winter config - I want to nadeer the supers.
Bees are out ever day.

First dandelions are in bloom. Forecast is for 13C daytime temperatures from next weekend.

Due to current low daytime temperatures, I haven't yet pulled out any frames. I'll pop tops off hives today and have a sneak peak down the frames with a torch to check brood volumes.
s
Might Demareeing next weekend be OK?

One needs to bide one's time and curb the enthusiasm until we have proper settled temps and much milder weather , typically night time needs to be in double digit figures.

 

[user 819]

In the LBKA we had a fiddler female beek who wouldn't listen to some peer views and by mid Feb one year wondered why she had lost 6 out 7 colonies . Opening them willy nilly, disturbing them etc,etc.
Most had by the time she started fiddling had dwindled simply because she tried OA subliminating the Autumn before and simply I don't think grasped the timing of 4 x vapes to cover a brood period.

Though I never berated her , I did express my views/opinions on the LBKA webchat app and was banned/excluded from it because the BBKA snowflakes among them didn't like my tone of opinion.

Some fools will always remain fools no matter what .

 

[Erichalfbee]

To echo @Swarm it would be interesting why @Paulypaul is considering Demaree in the first place.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I want to nadeer the supers.

First proper inspection
And its nadir

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I struggle to understand why the supers need nadiring in the spring anyway - autumn, maybe.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Because a lot of folk ( my BKA for a start ) run brood and a half with the shallow under. Heaven knows why? If it’s on the top leave it there.

 

[user 819]

Better still if they need B&H go the whole hog and use a proper double brood system so much easier , then there is never any need to worry about nadiring .

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Better still if they need B&H go the whole hog and use a proper double brood system so much easier , then there is never any need to worry about nadiring .

if you think a colony needs a shallow as well as a deep, then it needs two deeps.

 

[Mabee]

I struggle to understand why the supers need nadiring in the spring anyway - autumn, maybe.

If you have wet supers it is great way to get them cleared up ready for use and gives the bees a bit of food.

 

[Erichalfbee]

If you have wet supers it is great way to get them cleared up ready for use and gives the bees a bit of food.

Wet supers in spring are even better on top where the bees will fill them.