>
>
>I can not say what is best for you and your area but can tell you what we
>do.
>We work bees in rain but not a downpour. Cold wind is of bigger concern.
I too work bees in nasty weather. In fact, I was transferring 4 frame nucs
into new boxes the other day, in a snow storm.

>   do you only remove brood to keep the bees
>from swarming?

Not my primary swarm control method.


>We try to feed only enough so the bees have only got a couple frames of
>honey left at the spring rework so hefting hives is easier.
>At times we bring frames of honey to add .

If I leave them too close on stores, and the weather is bad for a couple
weeks, the queens shut down. With plenty of stores they don't. I would
rather have a little extra in the hive, than have to go around adding more.


>
>   you are waiting to late to use our method. When
>the bees  start down I would reverse if I was not using our method and take
>the split from the top box. Think upward movement!

But not too late to use my method here in Vermont. By supering before
dandelions, reversing on dandelions, and supering again after
dandelions....there is upward movement.

>
>
>You (in my opinion) are waiting to late for your spring bee work if you are
>dealing with so much brood. Finding queens and spliting would be easier and
>simpler if you did your spring teardown earlier.

I don't feel I need to find all my queens...and I don't split colonies in
the spring. Colonies split on dandelion don't make surplus honey from the
early flows.

>You want to start when the queen is only on a couple frames of eggs/larva so
>she is easy to find.

What would be the point? I don't search for my queens anyway.


>I am guessing you only pull brood for splits and not do a complete hive
>rebuild like we do. Many use your method but also fight swarming because of
>the amount of bees which have emerged because of doing your spring teardown
>late *in my opinion*

I don't pull frames of brood for splits, or equalizing. That's what I used
to do. When I pollinated apples, I used to start equalizing and reversing
in late April...so the bees would be ready for the orchard. When they came
out of the orchard, I would do another..."teardown." Well, we have early
flows here...honeysuckle-locust-brambles...which the bees can't take
advantage of if they've been split up, or brood removed for equalization.
Instead I allow all my colonies to build up. I found that it is dandelion
nectar going into the broodnest that triggers swarming here. I super early
to catch the first dandelion nectar. About mid-flow, I reverse the
broodnests. and add another super. This keeps the bees expanding upward,
while giving the bees a place to store the dandelion. Surely some colonies
will start cells. If it's a problem with crowding, that can be fixed. If
they want a new queen, then I requeen them. Once they start making honey,
most give up swarming...as long as they have enough supers.

         I allow the weaker hives to build up too. The ones that don't
quite make the grade will get requeened. The punks get broken up into 4
frame nucs in July, and are each given a queen cell. These are
overwintered, and used for replacing deadouts, and for requeening  the
following spring.

This is how I handle my bees here in my area. I know it's not what you do,
Bob, but it works well for me. I am a honey producer, not a pollinator. My
bottom line is how much honey I make, minus what it cost to make it. Last
year in a good year I averaged 135 lbs, and this year...some said a bad
year, I averaged 97.

>
>  We also do hive teardowns after pollination (Almonds, Apples etc.) at times
>to keep bees from the trees.


This would be the best way of insuring a crop failure in these parts. There
just isn't enough time for the bees to build back to full strength.


>If we did not work bees in the rain we would not get our work done. Only
>hobby beekeepers have the luxury of waiting for a perfect 70F. day.

Yeah, that's out here too. We just don't get all that many 70deg days in
the spring.


>I live on a small farm and chores go on regardless of the weather so bee
>work gets done when the weather will not hurt the bees *in our opinion* even
>if uncomfortable for ourselves . Livestock needs fed , bales set and fresh
>country eggs need gathered.
>Bob


Well, off to feed my polled herefords, so I can get the truck loaded, and
out of here at a reasonable hour. This is brush cutting time in my bee
yards. Got my long-johns on, and my snow boots oiled....there's two inches
on the ground today...after 60F yesterday.

Mike...hoping you'll try to understand my methods...on the 45th...and not
compare them to yours...considerably south of there.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and  other info ---
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::