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  • A swarmy year or not

  • REPORT A SWARM FOR LOCAL BEEKEEPERS.
REPORT A SWARM FOR LOCAL BEEKEEPERS.
 #6195  by Chrisbarlow
 06 Apr 2020, 01:05
Do people think there will be lots of swarms this year or not?

My take on it.

Yes, loads of swarms, due to Coronavirus, lots of Beekeepers won't be conducting there usual beekeeping routines and there will get more swarms

However, very few swarm calls, as folk are on lockdown, people aren't out and about like they normally are to see swarms, thus very little reporting. I so I reckon the swarm phone will be quiet this year.

This year will be a good bait box year. Get em ready folks :D
 #6199  by AdamD
 06 Apr 2020, 09:39
Interesting thoughts - you could be right!
I will have to think about bait hives. I haven't put any up for 2 or 3 years and various insects made a right mess of the old comb in the last one I put out!
 #6203  by Patrick
 06 Apr 2020, 13:24
Put one out yesterday, one old comb, rest foundation. Might even stick out another for a chuckle..
 #6212  by AndrewLD
 06 Apr 2020, 18:51
Haven't worked out what is happening, my weakest hive ate the most stores and needed fondant, my strongest hives - I am planning on pulling stores out of brood boxes but they are still only on about 5 frames. On that basis it's too early for me to judge but with field after field of oilseed rape flowering around me, I am certainly taking it as a serious likelihood in another couple of weeks.
In the meantime and following Patrick's lead, I have two bait hives open (one on my garage roof) and a third ready but with entrance sealed. Plus two full-size hives loaded with foundation - ready to receive swarms.
I listened to a talk by Jed Marshall a couple of years ago and bought into his philosophy of relying less on inspections and more on pre-swarm management and bait hives as the back-up. We'll see :|
 #6213  by Chrisbarlow
 06 Apr 2020, 20:15
Most of my apiaries now have baits hives out ready, it's either a hive with an open entrance or a nuc box.

The ones that don't, will have this coming week
 #6215  by Patrick
 06 Apr 2020, 22:48
Completely get it with a commercial operation (particularly with queen rearing a major component of your operation) simply not having time during May and June to inspect all your colonies consistently enough. You would also have access to plentiful young and less swarmy strains of queens to hope to reduce the swarm incidence.

Remember some interesting research associated with Vita on the use of swarm lures and bait hives. As I remember it, secondary swarms or casts popped straight into nucs in apiaries whilst prime swarms hang out in nearby trees first before deciding to take up residence or head off.

I actually put up bait hives in the expectation (regularly met) of picking up others swarms rather than as a deliberate backstop to my swarm prevention. Whilst my bees think about swarming as often as anybody else’s I take actually losing a swarm very personally. Swarming was the bane of my early years and I go to considerable lengths to avoid it happening - including taking annual leave at swarm time. That also coincides with good fly fishing time and allotment booming so it’s plenty busy but good busy ;)
 #6216  by MickBBKA
 07 Apr 2020, 00:03
Patrick has it right. I don't holiday May to July as its swarm & honey production time. I don't really bother with bait hives. I clip queens, give space and employ good swarm prevention methods and for the most part ignore the flat earth methods we are taught by rote ;)
 #6253  by Steve 1972
 08 Apr 2020, 13:23
MickBBKA wrote:
07 Apr 2020, 00:03
Patrick has it right. I don't holiday May to July as its swarm & honey production time. I don't really bother with bait hives. I clip queens, give space and employ good swarm prevention methods and for the most part ignore the flat earth methods we are taught by rote ;)
Same here Mick..all my Queens are clipped which gives me a bit more time as my hives are 70 miles away at my lady friend's..as soon as they think about swarming or I get a phone call to say the bees are swarming the Queen (if I find her) goes into a nuc with a frame of brood/food and drawn foundation...and all but one Queen cell destroyed..that method works well for me..I used to do Pagden but I found the odd hive still attempting to swarm...
 #6255  by Patrick
 08 Apr 2020, 14:19
Steve 1972 wrote:..I used to do Pagden but I found the odd hive still attempting to swarm...
Lucky it was only the odd one. And yet it will be what is taught every year on just about every Beginners Course in the country, with implication behind the magic sleight of hand that there is certainty of success. Beginner after beginner will dutifully follow the instructions and still lose their bees and wrongly assume it was down to them. Woeful.
 #6256  by Japey Edge
 08 Apr 2020, 14:27
Patrick wrote:
08 Apr 2020, 14:19
Steve 1972 wrote:..I used to do Pagden but I found the odd hive still attempting to swarm...
Lucky it was only the odd one. And yet it will be what is taught every year on just about every Beginners Course in the country, with implication behind the magic sleight of hand that there is certainty of success. Beginner after beginner will dutifully follow the instructions and still lose their bees and wrongly assume it was down to them. Woeful.
Is Pagden not the way forward then?

Latest issue of BBKA magazine lists Demaree, Pagden, Heddon and Snelgrove - just having a read through to see which is my fave :lol: