>> Have you been doing this and checking the efficacy of the treatment?

>> Have you calculated the effect on the hive's production?

>> What do you do with the brood?

 I have just returned from a teach-in on IPM methods, including shook swarm.

 It may be carried out from May to June (UK). You should place a queen
 excluder under the brood to discourage absconding. Shaking straight onto
 foundation (with feeding until drawn) gives efficacy of 60-80%. This can be
 improved by leaving one old frame with unsealed brood only (cut out all
 sealed brood) until it is sealed . Then remove and destroy. The first of
the
 new frames with sealed brood can also be removed and destroyed. It was
 claimed that the total procedure can increase efficacy to over 95%.

 All the original comb and brood is destroyed, and so this procedure is not
 too good if you need early bees, but it is ok in much of the UK where the
 main flow is later in the year, unless you migrate for OSR or fruit tree
 pollination.

 The technique has been developed by the National Bee Unit, York, as an
 alternative to burning as a treatment for EFB. The use for combatting
varroa
 came as a by-product. The lecturer who presented the method claimed that
 honey yields remain unaffected, possibly a result of fresh comb and general
 improvement of bee health.

 This is UK experience and may not be reproduced elsewhere.

 Regards, John Burgess

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