Hi Blane, Bill, Milt and all

If you read the posting “Scuts” below, you would see a very fine
articulation of how scuts can and do take fierce cold. My point is that
they detest cold. Certainly, if you search the depth and breadth of
South Africa in mid-winter, you will indeed find scuts in areas with
absolutely bitter overnight temperatures. Scutellata in South Africa are
found in the summer rainfall area, and normally, winter days are
sunny and mild.

It’s worth noting that scuts yield to AM capensis in the Western Cape;
there’s a 99% chance that it’s because of the occasional horrific
winter conditions in that area. Also, capensis are adapted to winter
rainfall, found only in the Western Cape.

Thousands of miles to the north, scuts yield to AM monticola in the
East African mountains. My reading of scuts and cold is that the bees
will abscond if they sense a move would somehow place them in a
better position. Otherwise, they will stay put and try to live it out.

It’s not too difficult to manage wild scuts to minimise absconding
tendencies (please seen under “Pedigree Scutellata” posting below).

By the same token, managing scuts against swarming follows normal
beekeeping practices, viz., adding supers at the right time, de-choking
honey from the brood nest area, and so on. Again, timing is everything,
given the shorter development cycle of the scut. A hive with a
"normal-sized" colony can explode within a few days.

Best regards

Barry in Kyalami