Bob said:

> Most commercial beekeepers would NOT keep those hives of five
> deep hive bodies. You want all hives in the apiary the same strength.

The statement above is not just false but silly.
Anyone wants to maximize their honey crop.
Big hives do the job of 2 or 3 smaller ones.

Of course hives will differ within an apiary.
Of course you should give hives all the brood space they can use,
and stack supers with the aid of a stepladder, if required.

A robust colony will produce twice the harvest of a "typical" colony,
and these robust ones are the kind of hives our grandfathers and
fathers had more often, which is one reason why current per-hive yields
are lower than in tales of old.

I assume when "five hive-bodies" is mentioned, this means 5 mediums,
rather than 5 deeps.  A colony that requires 5 deeps to overwinter
would be worth sending out a film crew to document.  :)

In regards to robbing, removing the lids is a short-term solution.
Clearly, one cannot leave the lids off overnight when it is cold.

The "rain" trick works well, but is often impossible, given the
lack of running water at most apiary sites.

But reducing entrances is the key.  A weaker colony near such a
monster is easy pickings when fall comes and a bee's tiny little
mind turns to criminal behavior.  The weaker colony needs the
smallest entrance possible, just to give them a chance of defending
their stores.

As for the constant swarms, the answer here is to make splits
before the swarms get a chance to leave.

                jim (Living each day like it was
                 the weekend since the 1980s.)

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