Bob said:
. I use the "open brood nest" system of management as outlined in the > book
"honey getting" by Lloyd Sechrist ( 1946).
Phil asks:
Would it be possible to give some more detail of this method?

The method is defined by Sechrist ( pg. 64) as

"a brood nest of ample proportions with enough clear and usable worker cells
to permit the queen to lay freely during those parts  of the year when her
offspring will be valuable to the operator."

When discussed on BEE-L by me years ago most said the method involved too
much hive manipulation.

I use the "clear brood nest" method outlined in the book except for one
difference. I disagree with Sechrist  on one point.

He talks about removing brood and replacing with foundation to prevent
swarming. I believe using drawn comb works better as the queen has room to
lay right away. Sticking foundation in the center of the brood nest  might
help with crowding but does little for the queen but is better than no
action at all I suppose.

*In my opinion* anytime you allow a queen to stop laying ( bees filling
brood rearing area with nectar or  all cells filled with brood) you are
forcing swarming on the queen. If you always keep brood rearing area open
and cells for her to lay in she is content.

I wrote on BEE-L years ago of an experiment I did. I took a strong two story
hive hive and placed nine frames of sealed brood in a single langstroth deep
with queen and  bees  by shaking all bees in the box.
Within ten minutes the queen had had enough and the hive swarmed to a nearby
tree leaving some bees at the the old stand.
I got the swarm and hived right next to the old stand within 30 minutes and
none of the bees  (or that I could see) returned to the old hive. Seems when
they swarm they forget about ever returning to the old stand *unless* of
course the queen has clipped wings and the bees find she is not among the
swarm .

Many other points made in the book about queens, excluders and methods  etc.

Bob

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