I am posting this for information for folks to consider after the discussion about Snelgrove methods.
I have never done a Snelgrove.
I have done my modified version of a Demaree several times in the method I will explain without any problems until this year.
So regardless of queen cells in the BB I remove the original queen ( OE ) and place her in a Brood Box ( BB ) of foundation or drawn comb on original site, add a Queen excluder ( QE ) two supers and another QE with a 2nd entrance then the original BB. This causes the bees to create emergency queen cells ( EQC ) in the top BB. I reduce to one and allow her to go on to mate and lay. At this point I either remove old Q and allow new Q to take control or split the colony in half and make 2 new colonies. Note the bees are allowed to move freely between queens and laying is not interrupted which is a great advantage for honey production.
This year for the very first time I found the new queen in the top BB with eggs then a week or so later she was in the bottom BB and the old Q gone. Plus point there was no break in brood rearing which is the whole idea of this system and they don't swarm although old Q must have been killed. But how did she navigate 2 QE ?? I think the queen moving is because my local black queens are very small after mating and by pass the QE early in their days.
Just thought I would throw another method out there to add to the confusion ..Ha !!
I have never done a Snelgrove.
I have done my modified version of a Demaree several times in the method I will explain without any problems until this year.
So regardless of queen cells in the BB I remove the original queen ( OE ) and place her in a Brood Box ( BB ) of foundation or drawn comb on original site, add a Queen excluder ( QE ) two supers and another QE with a 2nd entrance then the original BB. This causes the bees to create emergency queen cells ( EQC ) in the top BB. I reduce to one and allow her to go on to mate and lay. At this point I either remove old Q and allow new Q to take control or split the colony in half and make 2 new colonies. Note the bees are allowed to move freely between queens and laying is not interrupted which is a great advantage for honey production.
This year for the very first time I found the new queen in the top BB with eggs then a week or so later she was in the bottom BB and the old Q gone. Plus point there was no break in brood rearing which is the whole idea of this system and they don't swarm although old Q must have been killed. But how did she navigate 2 QE ?? I think the queen moving is because my local black queens are very small after mating and by pass the QE early in their days.
Just thought I would throw another method out there to add to the confusion ..Ha !!