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  • swarm prevention with an Q excluder.

  • General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
 #12548  by Jules59
 03 Apr 2022, 17:25
This maybe a daft question.
But what happens if you stop the old queen swarming by simply putting an excluder between the Brood box and the entrance, so trapping the old and new Qs inside the hive.
It's never mentioned in the books or webinars on swarming. I'm guessing it's been tried and was not a success.
But actually happens to the colony?
 #12549  by Cable_Fairy
 03 Apr 2022, 17:55
Not a daft question, I have wondered that myself.
However if a new queen is raised will the old queen kill it, on the other hand the new queen will not be able to leave the hive and get mated.
 #12550  by Alfred
 03 Apr 2022, 17:58
It's a delaying tactic only to buy you a day or so if you're caught out.
Not recommended.
You will also trap the drones and there's a potential of a spike in disease if you hinder access to long.
The real issue is that you've done nothing to calm their urge to swarm.
Pretty much the only way to do this is to convince them they've already done so ,ie one of the many splitting procedures.
 #12552  by AdamD
 03 Apr 2022, 19:24
A caught swarm can be kept in by a queen excluder as occasionally they can abscond. The excluder can be removed after a few days - especially important of the queen is a virgin and needs to mate of course. However if you think a colony is going to swarm an exlcuder will not control the urge - you would probably see the workers fly out only to return as the queen can't go out with them. As has been mentioned all the drones would be stuck in too. Meanwhile a queencell is maturing...
I have read about a "Brice Swarm Catcher" (1940's) which never took off which held the queen in check.
If you believe a colony is about to swarm and you don't have the eqipment, you can buy a few days by removing all queencells. But it could be just a few days and a colony might swarm out way before any queencells are complete if they really have to urge to. I guess the lesson is to "be prepared" in this case.
 #12566  by Steve 1972
 05 Apr 2022, 18:54
If you do your weekly inspections you will spot the signs of swarming....ie charged Queen cups with eggs and royal jelly or if you missed any previously you may see sealed Queen cells..all my Queens are clipped so a prime swarm can not happen..once I spot any Queen cells I remove the Queen on a frame she is on with no Queen cell and place her in a nuc..I then shake a load of bees in and move it to another spot making double sure no Queen cells are presant..
Then back to the origional swarming colony I destroy all but the best looking Queen cell and and carry out weekly inspections till they can not make any more QC..
I now have the old Queen in a nuc for insurence just incase the Queen cell in the full colony fails and if so I can unite them back together..if a new vigin emerges I have the start of a new colony if she is successfuly mated..
We have many different was to stop swarming but I like this method..I may loose honey production but it work for me..