Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
leave them and let the bees choose; or
cut out all the queen cells and put in a new caged queen; or
put in a queen cell from elsewhere.
This procedure is effective and easier than it looks but, like all artificial swarming,
it splits the colony into two. If you want it to take full advantage of a nectar flow,
therefore, you should unite the two halves before the flow starts. The disadvantages of
this procedure are evident: you must find the queen, which can be difficult, and if you
want to destroy all the queen cells, you mustn't miss any.
Unable to find the queen
If you cannot find the queen and you want to complete an artificial swarm, carry out
the following procedure:
Cut out all the queen cells -
all
of them.
Split the colony into two, ensuring that each half has eggs and young brood.
Place one half elsewhere in the apiary.
Block the entrances of the moved box with grass. The bees will eventually remove
it and, by the time they have done this, they will have become accustomed to their
new hive and won't fly back to the original one.
After three days look at each half. The half with eggs will have the queen and the
other half will probably have queen cells.
In the queenless colony, cut out the queen cells, except one. The bees will raise a
queen from this.
Or
introduce a queen you have purchased in a queen cage.
The queen removal method
This is another effective but time-consuming method of swarm control where the
queen cells are found in a colony. Brother Adam claimed that it was a fail-safe method
of stopping swarming in a colony. It is simple and reliable, no extra equipment or boxes
