Which Type of Bees

[Finman]

Yes that's exactly what I'm saying, less mouths to feed basically.

Yes, and much more space to handle fresh nectar.

 

[Finman]

Yes that's exactly what I'm saying, less mouths to feed basically.

Yes, and much more space to handle fresh nectar.

Why hive has beard on front Wall in good flow? It does not have enough space to work and store wet nectar.

And why your all boxes are finish when it is top flow?
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[B+.]

In fact it gives 150 lb, because after joining it has only one laying queen and its brood.

Am I the only one not OK with this sort of trickery?

 

[Finman]

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If you compare that above to two queen hive, it is very different idea.
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[wightbees]

This is from another site I was reading about it...The concepts of a cut down are that you free up bees to forage because they have no brood to care for, and you crowd the bees up into the supers to maximize them drawing comb and foraging. This is especially useful for comb honey production and more so for cassette comb honey production, but will produce more honey regardless of the kind of honey you wish to produce.
This is very timing critical. It should be done shortly before the main honey flow. The purpose is to maximize the foraging population while minimizing swarming and crowding the bees into the supers.. There are variations on this, but basically the idea is to put almost all the open brood, honey and pollen and the queen in a new hive while leaving all the capped brood, some of the honey and a frame of eggs with the old hive with less brood boxes and more supers. The new hive won't swarm because it doesn't have a workforce (which all returns to the old hive). The old hive won't swarm because it doesn't have a queen or any open brood. It will take at least six weeks or more for them to raise a queen and get a decent brood nest going. Meantime, you still get a lot of production (probably a lot MORE production) from the old hive because they are not busy caring for brood. You get the old hive requeened and you get a split.

 

[mbc]

Am I the only one not OK with this sort of trickery?

Different goals, harvesting honey vs assessing queens, not really trickery.
I do take my hat off to you with your careful assays, I pick my queens more by feel as I do a certain amount of equalising and harvesting bees and brood for the queen rearing so it gets difficult to make any sort of accurate measure of queen performance.
Needs must and different goals and all that.

 

[wightbees]

There are other was but all mount to the same thing, more bees less broad, from my readings

 

[Finman]

Am I the only one not OK with this sort of trickery?

It is your problem. Not mine.
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[B+.]

Different goals, harvesting honey vs assessing queens, not really trickery.

It isn't useful information that can be used to base a decision on. It is misinformation. It tells you nothing beyond how devious the informant is.
The danger is that, in accepting this sort of nonsense, colonies that truly perform well can be ignored and the wrong queen(s) can be used for breeding.

By all means use any method you like for making honey, but, don't claim it is the product of a single colony. It isn't.

 

[B+.]

It is your problem. Not mine.
.

Is this how you learned to gather data on your degree? It misrepresents the truth.

 

[wightbees]

How about if you have 2 Queens you have assess and now want to farm them, you know what they achieved so you then try what's been mentioned. As one of these Queens now has been removed with open Brood what is the likely outcome?
They go on strike due to there Queen being abducted.
They become fat and eat all the honey.
They store more as no where else for it to go.

Said with a smile but up for debate : )

 

[Finman]

They become fat and eat all the honey.
)

I have selected wrong pastures when such happens
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[B+.]

How about if you have 2 Queens you have assess and now want to farm them, you know what they achieved so you then try what's been mentioned.

If the performance tests have been done and they have nothing to offer in future breeding, I'd say do what you like with them. I'd have no further interest in them. These queens would be below average

 

[Finman]

If the performance tests have been done and they have nothing to offer in future breeding, I'd say do what you like with them. I'd have no further interest in them. These queens would be below average

But that queen is splended in the foraging hive. Does not eate much. Just serves as a queen.

 

[chrisb]

Am I the only one not OK with this sort of trickery?

you are not alone

I am now totally confused as to are we assessing a single queen colony with all from that queen, or assessing how much honey can be obtained by making a mongrel colony

 

[Erichalfbee]

I simply meant that the number of boxes you'll have to lift is quite a bit more. This can be truly exhausting, especially if the boxes are at head height and awkward to get hold of.

I have a man to do that

Edit....oooops sorry, I hadn't realised how far the thread had progressed

 

[Finman]

oops

 

[Finman]

I have a man to do that

Edit....oooops sorry,

 

[Erichalfbee]

He's a bit prettier than that

There are a lot of folk watching.
What sort of spectator sport is that then, Finnie ?

 

[Finman]

:icon_
There are a lot of folk watching.
What sort of spectator sport is that then, Finnie ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7IM9f16QZ4

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