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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Steve Donohoe <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 19 Jun 2019 04:32:38 -0400
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Hi Randy,
No, not shaken twice - it's just a long winded description of how they do a shook swarm. Basically just shake the bees into a brand new hive with foundation and then feed. The QX on the floor comes out once they have drawn comb, otherwise they can abscond. In some groups in the UK (including the BBKA which teaches beginners) there is an obsession with not having old brood frames - they think that dark comb is evil. Some people actually do a shook swarm on a healthy colony just to get them on new comb. Most commercial beekeepers say that is silly, in my experience.

I interviewed Murray McGregor who has about 4,000 colonies (biggest in UK) and he has had problems on and off with EFB. He has tried antibiotics and the shook swarm technique but his experience is that very often the EFB goes away for a while but then comes back again. His policy now, after several years of dealing with it, is to burn them. He told me that the time taken and costs of trying to fix it wasn't worth it because it often returns. 

Once, during a massive EFB outbreak across a large area and many different beekeepers, he did buy in the antibiotic from the USA and was hailed as a hero locally because it did save many colonies. I think in such cases, where the choice is to watch them die or use antibiotics, then the latter is what most people would choose. In the UK it's illegal to do that yourself - you have to notify the authorities and follow their instructions.

best wishes

Steve

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