BEE-L Archives

Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

BEE-L@COMMUNITY.LSOFT.COM

Options: Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 26 Jan 2013 21:41:26 -0700
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (57 lines)
> So what I'm curious about is whether you ever tried both methods side by
> side in a yard to see whether there was a difference in colony buildup.
>   Allen or anyone with actual experience?

Not that I have done a scientific experiment with equal colonies, etc, 
etc., but I've done it both ways enough to know this:

If you have a strong single just about to double in population 
overnight, (which means you have put off adding a second until June 
around here and June means settled weather), then adding the box on top 
is better and the bees and queen go right up. The build-up is marginally 
faster.-- if all goes well.

However, swarming may result from waiting that long and you don't have 
even a day or two to play with or the bees are in the trees.  If it 
rains and you can't get into the yard, or your best helper gets sick or 
quits, then you are screwed. (That is the technical beekeeping term).

If you add the second on top, too early, before the single is full of 
bees and brood in a climate like ours, the colonies just sit there and 
don't expand until they recover from the shock.  You may have chilled 
brood.  If you wait a day too late, and there is a huge brood hatch, 
then your bees will swarm.

On the other hand, if you have several thousand hives to add seconds to 
and only a few trucks and helpers, and you want to forestall swarming by 
being early adding the boxes, and not a day or a week late late, then 
putting the boxes on the bottom is just about as good and is very safe. 
  You can do it a week or two early to all colonies, weak and strong 
alike, using even totally untrained helpers and the results will be 
good.-- maybe not as good as a diligent and omnipresent expert beekeeper 
might achieve, but very good and very consistent.

Consistent and safe is what a commercial beekeeper seeks if he/she wants 
to remain a commercial beekeeper.  What part of this is so hard to 
understand?  Commercial beekeeping is _not_ about doing everything 
perfectly and right, or even at the ideal time, but about developing 
management techniques that are idiot-proof, never cause disasters, and 
give consistent good results over time and many colonies using labour 
which may not have the skills to time the activity to the ideal moment 
when the colony is about to explode.

Not ever having nosema problems might just be a coincidence, but I don't 
think so.

At any rate, this advice works every time, does not require expertise, 
and gives good results.  Even a beginner can follow this advice and not 
go wrong.

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html

Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at:
http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm

ATOM RSS1 RSS2