Jo, like you, I too let nature take care of the culling business. For
example, despite the record-breaking wetness this year, we had a severe
drought only last year; from April till November, we did not receive much
rain, from one extreme to another. In fact, last year, even the common
sumacs did not care to bloom, being ticked off. Worse, this past April
brought on down the late artic blast (you all recall?) that zapped and
fried all the early blooms in Oklahoma: no peaches, no cherries, and no
apples this year. Worse, the recent wetness drowned most of blackberries;
they just melted away. Granted that we often get that kind of last freeze
in Oklahoma, this one was different in that the freeze stayed with us for
a month, which, in turn, delayed, if not “retarded,” swarming season this
year. I still find primary swarms this late in July (no, they are worth
more than a fly in my book). This prolonged chill, combined with last
year’s severe drought, threw a one-two punch on my bees, knocking them
senseless, taking a large toll on their number, a process that effectively
culled the dinks so much so that I am debating if I should increase their
number by buying queens from outside, something I have not done for years
now.
Most of my swarms and take-downs come from man-made structures and trees
surrounding them; the largest one I caught this year, for instance, was
from none other than Will Rogers World Airport in OKC; I caught a seven-
framer (packing both sides solid) from one of the loading docks there, and
when I explained that there was a colony within one hundred yards of the
location of the swarm, the airport manager told me that the new airport
building contained many such potential voids, walls that are not fully
insulated but left unpacked, thus creating a potential FOD (Foreign Object
Damage). I did volunteer to search for the nest, but he has not yet
called for my service.
Unless for improving the so-called “intra-colonial genetic diversity” (I
love this mouthful jargon), I do not buy queens from outside, and when I
do, I want Carniolans. Invariably, to increase the number and thwart
swarming, I do walk-away splits as early in the spring as possible,
thinking this way I can maintain the local gene pool, adapted to the local
specifics, of my area—having already cut my losses in the fall. As many
of you have already noted, by the time the nectar flow starts, the splits
send out more sorties than do the parent colonies although one must be
mindful and ever-watchful about the ubiquitous nemesis in beekeeping—
queenlessness.
Yoon
YSK HONEY FARM
Shawnee, OK
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