> That one has just thrown a swarm so we will wait a while until the new queen has been mated and is laying. Liz, maybe using binoculars, will look out for increased pollen gathering as a sign that they have new babies to feed.
Hello Chris
For several years I have employed a method which
I have not seen previously described in any bee literature.
So perhaps I am the first to devise and employ. ;)
‘If you can keep a good eye on the colony, immediately
after swarming, affix the cone, and if the virgin queen
exits to mate she will not be able to get back in. Then
you may speed the process along greatly by getting a
mated queen in your trapout‘.
>What happens inside the wall? Suddenly there is no income. Ok they have loads of stores and can survive for a while, but there’s no water coming in to dilute the honey (which is ‘hard tack’ to them) and, in summer, little condensation they can use….
Not only no income, but here in the North East,
-experiencing 90 plus F days, I suppose it would
impede the colonies ability to cool the nest. Perhaps,
inability to cool might cause them to abscond, or at
the worse (and I have seen this happen), comb collapsed
and many bees succumbed to heat.
I have witnessed swarms that entered voids, which
by their situation, are impossible to be cooled properly.
In cases in which a swarm chooses voids which cannot
be cooled, hundreds of bees may be found dead
near the exit, and as far as 10 meters or so from the
colony, appearing much like the nest has been sprayed.
>the queen, possibly attracted by the pheromonal ‘noise’ outside will, herself, exit and join the mob, resuming her laying out there. So keep an eye out for her or her eggs at each visit.
I don’t believe I have ever had a queen exit in
this manner, -I suppose it is possible.
>When you’re sure that every bee that can emerge from within the wall has done so,
Your ideas are great for a hobby beekeeper who needs
to acquire bees to boost a colony or start another. I would
encourage every beekeeper to do at least a few trapouts
as a learning experience, to see just how crafty bees
can be at defeating your efforts.
This season, during May alone, I have removed about
20 colonies from structures (Oddly enough, all but 3 were
identified as colonies in the initiation stage, 3 were at least
2 years of age). I need to get in and out in one visit, perhaps
two at most. Trapouts are not for me, but I highly recommend
all beekeepers do at least a few for the experience.
>remove the Porter escapes and replace them with queen excluder. This enables the bees outside (but not the queen!) to enter their old home and rob it of any stores.
That’s a great idea using the queen excluder to let bees
Rob out, and I have used this technique. But will a
Queen fit thru a porter escape? ..Some claim drones
do not fit thru,,,so will queens?
Best Wishes,
Joe Waggle
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FeralBeeProject/
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