>>...any reason why you would need to restrict swarming.

You are right.  Losing bees in swarming in apitherapy is no issue.  
What I did not mention is that the couple lives in one of the 5 
boroughs of NYC where beekeeping is discouraged and neighbors can get 
upset over swarming bees or just seeing bees period.

The same issue occurs with observation hives where you have to rotate 
frames to keep the bees from getting too strong during the build-up. 

I am interested in queen laying restriction methods to maintain small 
populations in confined spaces such as nucs or ob hives without 
frequent intervention.

Thanks!

Waldemar

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