Have enjoyed all this discussion on swarm reduction methods. I now have some other views to meld into mine. I liked the idea of fooling the bees with a transplanted swarm cell or two. Seems though this would work very well with a frame bought down to the bottom isolated super with the old queen or no queen? Old queen could stay topside without field bees, and just for good measure transfer a couple cells up here also. Would make a great 2 Queen system. Two new swarm queens and perhaps an old one all laying. Sounds to fantastic to be true. Let me say something about swarming. I had a few go last year and you know something those colonies produced just as much as the ones that didn't. I think there is a corollary between the number of bees that leave and the amount of open brood space left. It seems that fewer bees go if there is a lot of open (added) brood space, anyone notice this. Alden Marshall B-Line Apiaries Hudson, NH 03051 [log in to unmask] tel. 603-883-6764 On Fri, 6 Mar 1998 07:19:08 -0600 "Excerpts from BEE-L" <[log in to unmask]> writes: >From: gpape <[log in to unmask]> >Organization: Sonneheerdt-Ermelo > >The system described looks a lot like the system that is widely used >in >Germany. I tried the method first last spring. > >Yes it works, at least with my hive under test. Doesn't every brutal >disturbance reduce swarming? > >The method I used differs a little; >1 Remove all boxes from bottomboard. >2 Place broodbox with open brood, food and foundation. >3 Place an open separator-device (Snelgrove) with flight-entrance >open. >4 Dont look for the Queen. Let her lay eggs. >5/6/7 Place all the original hive bodies on top of the separator. >8 After 9 days; bottom box has Q-cells and honey > top boxes dont like swarming, no flight-bees. >9 Both sections have still the same smell in there little noses! >Rearrange all boxes in original order. The temporarily bottom box can >be >used as honey super. >10 Feel free to replace the Queen or not. > >--- >Disclaimer: The articles on Best of Bee are often opinion >rather than fact, and are not necessarily completely researched. >Use with caution -- and at your own risk. > _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]