In a message dated 3/28/99 4:04:58 AM Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

> Upon further examination, I found one capped swarm cell, two that were ready
> to be capped, and 4-5 others that had larvae!  One of my other Italian hives
> also showed a couple of swarm cells!  I contacted one of the members of my
> local association, who is a master beekeeper, and he said he had never heard
> or seen them preparing for swarming so early in the season!  I plan to split
> both these hives in about three weeks, as soon as my new queens arrive.

    You can't get better queens than ones raised from swarm cells. They are
extremely well fed by strong colonies.

     Some will say that by making splits with swarm cells, you encourage the
swarmy trait. I have to say that I've seen enough weak bees in the last
fifteen years, that if a hive is strong enough to be swarmy, that's the kind
of bees I want.

    The only problem this early would be the chance of stormy weather during
the mating time. But then, I've seen stormy weather much later too.....

>  He
> was kind of at a loss as to what to do!  I cut out the cells, in an effort
to
> gain some time.  ANY suggestions out there?

    Some hobby beekeepers go though the hives every few days cutting out
cells. Big mistake!  It keeps the bees demoralized and often mean tempered as
well. And sooner or later, you will have a cell that you miss, and it's likely
to be a little bitty, lousy queen. The bees swarm anyway; you only delayed
them, and you wind up with a junk hive.

    Remember that queens are programed to swarm in the second year. Queens a
year or less in age will swarm only if you severely crowd them. Second year
queens are almost impossible to stop. So regular requeening and splitting are
the two management tools that serious beekeepers use for swarm control. All
else is mostly extra work.

[log in to unmask]     Dave Green  Hemingway, SC  USA
The Pollination Scene:  http://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html
The Pollination Home Page:    http://www.pollinator.com

Jan's Sweetness and Light Shop    (Varietal Honeys and Beeswax Candles)
http://users.aol.com/SweetnessL/sweetlit.htm