Waldemar
No I do not use barbeque grills over my broodnest as I want
the queens to have all the space they can have to lay and
from time to time the queens do come up into the middle of
the 4th box, which really makes for a nice convient split
or brood for giving to a weaker hive to beef it up.

Also I practice unlimited broodnest management like Farrar
used to do with the bees up the center gut with all the
honey and pollen to the sides and bottom they can do and
stand, which makes for good security in poorer drought
years and is one reason I came thru last year with bees as
I had extra backup besides feeding practically the whole
crop back to keep and hold the bees while others  couldn't
as it can get costly if not prepared. So a good 6 frames of
honey/pollen feed stores or more per broodnest box is not
uncommon.

As for swarm rates, since Housel Positioning I really
haven't seen swarming much in the bee yards I have (30), or
signs or indications of it, and yet prior to repositioning
combs and facing in order, 10 or more swarms per yard was
common and the norm per year. But who would ever think that
right and left side placement of comb could do that, so I
could get above the 3rd box to 4-5 high, with better drawn
out combs even. Now I just fight our desert climate of
which last 7 have been official drought, but yet the bees
keep coming slowing forward and I keep getting more combs
back to have something to work with, and somehow it seems I
am still here with bees to work.....Not that I am a
so-called killer bee woman in area, while the men work with
the gentler stuff. Such tuff woman's work!

Regards,

Dee 


  

Also, what swarm rates do you experience and how do you
raise new 
queens?



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