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Thread: When is it too late to split/AS/Raise a new Queen?

  1. #11
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    Hi Gavin,

    Had a visit from Margie today and she mentioned that her swarming is also late in Wester Ross and also her queen rearing goes on longer in the season than our area. It looks like geographical variation as well as possible less swarmy bees.

    Jimbo

  2. #12
    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gavin View Post
    Any idea why yours waited when others didn't? Are your stocks better selected for lack of swarminess?

    G.
    Last year they were swarmy so I doubt if selection has played any part.
    I gave a few strong colonies a second brood box and I have also been removing any frames with just stores so that the queen is not cramped.
    One of the two colonies I used for grafting (Col 31) has not made any queen cells yet and it is a big colony on double brood so it might be worth persevering with the genetics of that one. I have four daughter queens from it mated with predominantly Galtee drones. They have only been laying for a week and one of them is still in an Apidea.
    Jimbo I still have my eye on that Mars Bar as Col 31 was 85% AMM according to DrawWing and I brought my Apideas to an Apiary with Galtee stock.

  3. #13
    Administrator gavin's Avatar
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    You must persuade Margie to come on here!

    My peak swarming is usually exactly the same time as you Jim. However this year they were late, probably a combination of a seriously weakened colony and the cool spring.

    The association bees were early this year, in early May, - perhaps influenced by the copious willow available where they are.

    G.

  4. #14
    Senior Member Adam's Avatar
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    Last year we have a very early start to the seaon and I had swarm cells at the end of April. This year I had one colony swarm in early May with 8 frames of brood. The daughter now has queencells in her hive of 7 frames of brood in a 16 frame hive (as of yesterday) so she is going and will be replaced by a better genetic line! In fact I re-marked her and clipped her and she was immediately attacked by a worker which I stabbed with my marking pen to get her off. If the queen is balled I am not too worried, with that sort of swarmy tendancy. It will save me the guilt of squashing her!

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