Subject: | |
From: | |
Reply To: | |
Date: | Sat, 28 Jan 2023 20:10:53 -0500 |
Content-Type: | text/plain |
Parts/Attachments: |
|
|
This whole discussion has been invaluable for me.
I’m in Philadelphia and we get a very strong early nectar flow starting in April and ending in mid June. We have a month or more of dearth and a moderate fall flow. We’re actually getting Witch Hazel, Skunk Cabbage, and Aconite already, and will get Purple Deadnettle a few weeks before Dandelions which are the start of the strong nectar flows.
Our bees want to start swarming the last week in April and it’s a constant battle until the flow ends in June.
Last year I had good success with a ‘rolling demarree’ technique that a local guy has developed, but it’s a LOT of labor and manipulation.
Single brood chamber is becoming more popular at least in Western PA with Steve Repasky’s advocacy for that method. I have to admit that I didn’t see how a single brood chamber would not swarm until reading this thread.
It seems that it could work around here. I’m not worried about overwintering, I made my new bees in July this year and they were able to fill up and pack out singles on the fall flow and all seem to be doing fine.
It sounds like singles would be a little less work than Demaree. In my experience (which is not extensive) even with double deeps unless you’re in them every 10-14 days they’re going to swarm. It’s almost like they’d rather plug the brood chamber than take it up to a super.
The Demarree is a lot of work but I didn’t have any swarms (that I knew of) and had a good harvest in a difficult year weather wise - cold wet spring, short nectar flow, long drought in mid summer.
I have to put some thought into the exact timing, but Etienne’s presentation and this discussion has given me a lot to think about.
Thank you one and all!
David Harrod (he/him)
[log in to unmask]
> On Jan 28, 2023, at 1:01 PM, Paul Hosticka <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> The value of these threads is for beeks with less experience and in diverse locals to hear a variety of opinions and go out and try some new methods.
***********************************************
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
|
|
|