Swarming Advice

[gavin]

LOL!! Anyway, I'll have nothing said against Warre folk. I've invited one to set up home in the association apiary next year, once I have queens on tap and can supply one I like.

Spot on with the starter strip detective work. I dribbled a very small puddle to get the starter strips held in place and I knew it wasn't enough when I was inserting Q cells as one fell out. I'll have a go at re-positioning the comb but will leave it as it is for now as I need props for an association meeting at Longforgan a week on Saturday (and I've yet to start grafting!).

I saw Murray McG's squad sat down in his yard scraping and fiddling with Apideas last week (for breeding a totally different kind of honeybee probably). I could see that they don't stay shiny and clean, which is a pity. The Apideas. His squad was a well-turned out and polite bunch of east Europeans.

[Jimbo]

Here is my top tip put your apidea's and mini nucs into the dishwasher at no more that 55 degrees. They come out like new. Second top tip do it when your other half is not in the house.

[Jon]

And also fumigate everything with 80% acetic acid, especially the comb, as apideas are prone to build up of nosema spores by all accounts.

[EmsE]

If the bees are planning supercedure, when would they get rid of the old Queen?

[Adam]

It depends!
Sometimes they will keep the old queen and both queens will be laying in the hive (I've not seen this) or other times they'll swarm when you think they are superceding.
If you think they are superceding, clipping the queens wings will enable you to keep the bees if they do decide to swarm.