>Date: Thu, 12 Jun 1997 23:46:44
>To: [log in to unmask]
>From: Eric Abell <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: Did not rotate hive bodies
>
>At 10:21 AM 11/06/97 -0700, you wrote:
>>Earlier this year some posts talked about not rotating hive bodies in
>>the spring but letting the queen work her way down. My bees came through
>>the winter in exceptional shape, no mites. So when I decided to rotate
>>hive bodies, four out of five already were in the bottom box, so I only
>>rotated the one hive. It is the only one that swarmed. All the others
>>are in the second super - and we are not even in the main clover honey
>>flow. The one that swarmed is still in the lower brood boxes. I realize
>>this is only one data point and may be the exception, so I will try it
>>again next year.
>>Bill Truesdell
>>Bath
>>
>But is that not the reason for reversing (rotating) these boxes?  In my
area it is a race to have the bees ready for the flow.  If we believe that a
large population encourages swarming then your 5 hive experiment would
appear to indicate that reversing can increase the population faster than if
it is not reversed.
>
>In my case, I reverse as soon as the bees are starting into the bottom box
or as soon as the top box starts to fill with bees. Now, there is a
tremendous difference in colony strength between those that were reversed
and those that were not. Is this because the non-reversed were poor colonies
to begin with or because reversing imporoved the already better colonies?
Likely both.  When I first made this decision, there was not a great deal of
difference.  The difference is now great.  Perhaps I should reverse everything?
>
>Reversing is heavy work. With a short time between winter and the major
honey flow I suspect that reversing hives is worth the trouble.
>
>Eric
>
>
Eric Abell
Gibbons, Alberta Canada T0A 1N0
Ph/fax (403) 998 3143
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