Results 1 to 10 of 12

Thread: Commercial swarm control methods

Hybrid View

Previous Post Previous Post   Next Post Next Post
  1. #1

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Thymallus View Post
    A total off topic question, Calluna4u, but as a commercial keeper how do you manage swarming with the large number of hives and the limited time you have?
    Illegitimi non carborundum.....
    That's a moveable feast, could fill a book really. There are so many variables, and the order of the day for the teams changes according to a list of factors....date, flow situation, availability of queens, swarming status of the target colony, and even down to 'What do we have left on the truck?'

    We lose some swarms. Less than others probably, but more than folk with bags of time.

    But seriously, this is a topic I truly could write an entire book on, and still remember things I had forgotten to add in or could have put better.. We know what we intend to do on any given day or situation, but achieving it is the biggest challenge.

    To answer you question you would need to throw a situation at me and I can deal with that particular query as it is put to me.

    Had Gavin here with me until about half an hour ago and one of the very things we were talking about was an amendment to our splitting process in the early part of the coming season, so as you can see from that everything evolves as the years pass, and no years process is ever identical to that of the year before, even if the changes are very subtle.

  2. #2
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    North Yorkshire
    Posts
    135

    Default

    It's a frustrating answer but understood....a book would be very interesting!. Not sure what situation I would throw at you as I appreciate there are many circumstances
    Okay, I'll go for 1.. I'm presuming clipped queens.
    1. No spare equipment and find unsealed queen cells. As a hobbyist keeping Buckfast bees my usual response is knock them all down and see if they are serious. Works about 40-50% of the time....does mean I have to return with more gear in case they really mean it.

    2. Return to find they mean it with Spare gear and find lots more unsealed Queen cells. For me it depends on A)queen age. If old I'll remove old queen and stick in spare Nuc with a frame of bees as a back up ( I don't have that many hives!) and depending on time and hive continue to knock down queen cells and introduce new queen, or of it's one of my Island mated breeder queen rob all (but one) the queen cells for mating nucs.
    or if there is a strong flow on at the time I'll tend to do what I call a bastardized Demaree with the box with Q cells on top of the supers and worry about the queen situation after the harvest.



    Yes, should apologize for a stupid question, just thinking about it at hobbyist level it demands some judgement.



    If I'm reading you correctly you are splitting, presumably to preempt later swarming.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •