>   Some comments were made about good management and swarm prevention.  I'd
>like to post a few questions regarding this subject.
>
>   I have been told year after year to reverse the brood chambers every 7 to
>10 days.  This, I am told prevents congestion in the hive.  However, I have
>read that some believe this does nothing more than disrupt the bees.  What
>do you all think?  What are other more effective alternatives that you have
>had success with?
>
>   I have also noted that some people here are convinced that cutting queen
>cells is useless since the bees already have it in mind to swarm and nothing
>will stop them.  If this is true, then how effective is it to cut swarm
>cells?  Is it even worth doing?  Does anyone have success with cutting swarm
>cells and preventing swarms?
>
>   Despite the fact that I was not physically able to tend to my hives over
>a two week period during swarm season I think that either I averted the
>swarm impulse or otherwise the bees had no intentions of swarming, but only
>planned to supercede their queen.  Under normal circumstances, I make it a
>point to get out to the hives at least once per week during swarm season.
>Not all of us are fortunate to have someone else do it for us.  My husband
>has nothing to do with my bees other than to eat the honey they produce.  I
>hold no grudge because of this.  Some people just don't want to deal with
>bees.  I'd rather not have someone out in my hives who doesn't want to be
there.
>
>   As to what may have happened in one of my hives, do you think my bees
>were more likely to be superceding their queen or did they really have the
>impulse to swarm?  I thought there was a way to tell by the location of the
>queen cells - if the cells are in the center of the frames, it is a
>supercedure, if the cells are on the bottom of the frames, then it is a
>swarm impulse.
>
>Laura
>Anne Arundel Co., Maryland
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>
Dear Laura,
 
        Cutting queen cells is poor bee management, a regular inspection of
15 to 25 days in each hive, is all that is required, especially as the brood
box of most large beekeepers, (1000 to 3000 hives) is only inspected when
the new queen is placed in the brood box when requeening.
 
        The aim is to produce honey, so that less disturbance is the better,
with a good queen, laying and expanding with honey, as the boxes become full
of brood and/or honey or pollen, addition of more boxes or extraction is
required, other wise your bees become lasy, and just sit around, then you
get cranky bees creating complaints.
Thanks from :
                        [log in to unmask]
                 http://www.eastend.com.au/~goble
            [log in to unmask] ( David Goble )
           American Beach Kangaroo Island South Australia