At 08:55 6/17/96 EST, you wrote:
>---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
>Poster: "Mark D. Egloff" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Too many bees???
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Well, this will seem to be a strange request, given the current
> depleted status of the honeybee population in the US, BUT, I
> set up a two queen hive for the first time this spring and I
> now have more bees in that one hive than I know what to do
> with. I will be pulling honey supers off of the hive in about
> another two weeks, but then I have a problem --
>
> How do I get rid of the extra and then unneeded bees? These
> bees will be the older foragers, possibly (although not tested)
> with the larger risk of mite infection, etc.
>
> The colony is super vigorous. (BTW, it is great to see one this
> strong. I didn't know what a REAL hive of bees was until this
> one.) I don't want to damage it or hurt it in any way, but I
> would like to filter out the excess foragers and quietly get
> rid of thiem or find some other use for them. Any ideas on how
> to proceed??
>
> Mark Egloff
> Dayton, Ohio, USA
>
A couple suggestions: Find another, maybe larger, beekeeper who might set
up a trade system with you. You trade him, 1 for 1, a frame of bees for an
empty frame. I,personally, know of a beekeeper, near me, who is willing to
do this.
The other suggestion is to make up a package or nuc of bees and offer them
for sell to someone wanting to start a new colony. If you're going to do
this, however, you need to do it soon as we are getting late in the season
for someone to try to start a new colony.
Regards,
Mike Wallace
Sar Shalom Apiary
McKinney, Texas USA
"Out of the heart, the mouth speaks."
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