Stop Swarming

[ski]

I need to concentrate on keeping the bees in the hive this year. I had too many swarms issued form my two hives last year. It was fun catching the swarms but I think due to the lack of bees the honey never got capped enough to remove and extract.

Current plans to reduce swarming include:
Try to keep the brood nest open by moving a frame or two of brood up to the next box if the queen doesn’t move up on her own and they start getting crowded.

Checking for swarm cells by tipping the boxes up (kurts post below)

Maybe checker boarding – alternate drawn comb and foundation above the brood nest.

Post NO SWARMING signs in bee script.


If anybody has any other suggestions they would be appreciated.



Kurts post from May 2008
The only real way to tell if they are going to swarm is to look for swarm cells. Since these appear on the bottom of the frames it takes no more than a minute to tip the boxes back and take a quick peak.
Queen cups are acceptable but if you have an egg in one, it is inevitable that you will have a swarm in the next 10 or so days.
I try not to cut cells unless I am in the middle of the honey flow.
If I note a swarm cell prior to the flow I make a split in such a way as to insure no swarming (95% of the time)

[Iddee]

Spend 1000.00 of someone else's money buying new boxes, with the intention of replacing the money by selling hives of newly caught swarms.

Do it without the other person knowing about it.

I guarantee you will not have even one swarm.

[ski]

LOL that does seem to be a bit on the high risk side of doing business. :twisted: :idea:

[dogsoldier13]

LOL that does seem to be a bit on the high risk side of doing business. :twisted: :idea:

they call it "old school"

[ski]

Old School
OR
Unauthorized acquisition of funds to perform long range activities related to future bee growth.
OR
Oh crap I got caught.


But can you add anything to the reduce swarming list above, that is where I can use some additional old school advice.

Thanks,
Ski

[Iddee]

But, it will work....It's also known as Murphy's law.

Murphy is alive and well.

[ski]

I will add it to the list, but if I plan on Murphy.....well lets just say Murphy will be Murphy. ;)

[dogsoldier13]

thie proves one thing,two heads are better than one :lol:

[beehandler]

splits

[riverrat]

you are fighting a natural impulse of the bees when it comes to swarming. over crowding, weather, pests, among many other things can trigger the impulse. once the impulse is triggered it would be best to split the hive before the swarm leaves. You can only do what you can to help prevent swarms but there is no magic bullet to stop them from leaving. Some years swarm prevention measures will work other years you can do the same and end up with a couple of dozen swarm cells on a bottom bar. Some say checkerboarding is one of the best methods to prevent swarming I have not employed it in my yards. The best I can say is Unfortunatly the bees dont read the same books we do

[smgchandler]

river when is it time to do the checker boarding and when you say checker boarding do you mean put a undrawn sheet of foundation in every other space in lower supers and move some of the drawn and brood up higher in a super ? -- give some more info on this cause i have one hive that has a bunch of bees in it already and i just want to be ready when it turns warmer as far as what i can do to prevent it - if it happens then so be it - i cant sit at home waiting and watching but i will do what i can before it happens

[riverrat]

Walt Wright is the go to guy on checkerboarding. I havent dug into it in depth but this article might help you out. I might experiment on a few hives this summer to see how it does

http://www.knology.net/~k4vb/ABJ%20Copi ... 201996.pdf