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Subject:
From:
Gordon Scott <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Discussion of Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 14 May 1996 19:00:28 +0100
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On Sat, 11 May 1996, Laura A. Downey wrote:
 
> Busyknight wrote:
 
> >During the peak swarming season; you need to get into your hive
> >every 7-10 days to kill swarm cells.  This is the only way to
> >stop swarming and retain your large field forger work force so
> >that you can get a really large honey corp from your hive.  Two
> >weeks (i.e., 14 days) is too long to go between killing swarm
> >cells for a colony that is 'bent' on swarming.
 
Last year I had some that appeared to have swarmed after just
_six_ days, using emergency queen cells. Of course, the old queen
might have swarmed right after the earlier inspection where we'd
cut out some cells, though none were capped at that time, so
in theory (Hah!) it was too early for the old queen to have gone.
 
> I will admit that I did have to skip an inspection one week due to minor
> surgery which kept me off my feet.  That is probably why on my last
> inspection last week I spotted all of the swarm cells _already_ capped.
> Unfortunately, I haven't been able to convince my husband that he should be
> a beekeeper too.  <g>
 
Yes, how _do_ the bees know things like that :-)
 
A couple of thoughts on clipping. As Busyknight very rightly
said, clipping will *not* prevent swarming -- they'll still try
but they won't normally get far. I've seen 'photos of colonies
*under* hives to prove it. However, it should avoid you losing
the workers for a few more days because they won't actually
leave without a queen.
 
Usually, they'll cluster on a tree for a while until they give
up waiting for 'mum' who is by now probably lying on the ground
somewhere, and thay'll just fly right back into the hive. That
gives you a few more days in which to knock out all the Q
cells except one. If you don't, then the first virgin queen
that hatches will take the full swarm with her and the next
virgin will take some more (those casts or afterswarms that were
mentioned), until most of your bees & honey are gone. Only *then*
will a virgin kill any other rivals and stay home. You should
still have a colony, but no honey crop.
 
When I cut them to one Q cell, I may check again after a few
days in case they make some more emergency cells or repair any
I'd not broken well enough, then I basically leave them for a
month. There's nothing much I can do until then except maybe add
supers. A beekeeper (good landmark for a bee) near the hives at
mating flight time could disorient a returning queen. If they
don't have eggs after than month I'll give them one more visit,
then a frame of brood with eggs -- if they draw Q-cells they have
a problem and I'll find them a new queen somewhere or unite them.
 
I was talking to a local queen breeder recently at a fete, where
we chatted about bees generally and some queens I'd bought from
him the previous year. "That's one of your's right there in
the Observation Hive", I said with confidence. When I looked
closer at her again, she wasn't clipped -- but she definitely
was when I put her in there. They'd been in the care of a
friend for a couple of weeks and they had been "a bit active"
one day. I never even saw a Q cell.
 
Regards,
--
Gordon Scott   [log in to unmask]      [log in to unmask] (work)
The Basingstoke Beekeeper (newsletter)      [log in to unmask]
<A HREF="http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/apis">Embryo Home Page</A>
Beekeeper; Kendo 3rd Dan; Sometime sailor.  Hampshire, England.

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