>Can anybody enlighten me on the Snelgrove Swarm control system.?
 
L.E. Snelgrove, a British beekeeper, is the author of "Swarming, Its Control
and Prevention" and "Queen Rearing."  I obtained both of these through my
apiarists supply company so they are still in print.  "Swarming...." was
written in 1934 and "Queen Rearing" in 1946.
 
L.E. Snelgrove observed bee behaviour at great length and these observations
are of great interest to any beekeeper.  He went to great lengths to set
down the exact procedure and timing of several methods of swarm control and
queen rearing.  I believe these instructions would allow any inexperienced
beekeeper to successfully manipulate hives to control swarming or to rear
queens.
 
It is more difficult if your situation does not allow the instructions to be
followed precisely.  My hives are in up to 5 apiaries varying from 30
minutes to 1 hour drive from home and it is not practical for me to
manipulate the hive daily as suggested.
I have adapted the suggested procedure accordingly.
 
However for a new beekeeper with hives close at hand, these procedures are
certainly worth considering and will help greatly with understanding of how
bees decide to swarm and how to interrupt the decision making process.
 
Perhaps you could borrow the books through a library to see how relevant
they are to your situation.
 
You could also look for information on the Demaree system which is an
adaptation of Snelgrove's procedure.
 
Betty McAdam
HOG BAY APIARY
Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island
j.h. & e. mcadam<[log in to unmask]
http://kigateway.eastend.com.au/hogbay/hogbay1.htm