Eight members attended for a theory session on Artificial Swarming only to put it immediately into practice!.
First we had Stephen and the Pagden method, and then Jim with the Snelgrove Method
Then we started the inspections:
Hive 5 - The Queen cell now empty - no queen seen but a virgin queen presumed and we now await the mating process.
Hive 8 - improving and eggs now seen in top box
Hive 9 - Very strong colony, so we moved all new brood frames (upper box) into a new brood box on the floor, plus two supers, and then an eke with old brood box with stores and old brood with a top entrance to allow drones to escape. This should encourage the movement of stores from the bottom brood box to move upwards and provide greater space for the queen to lay.
Hive 10 - As always the strongest colony, and it was preparing to swarm!
Hive 5 - The Queen cell now empty - no queen seen but a virgin queen presumed and we now await the mating process.
Hive 8 - improving and eggs now seen in top box
Hive 9 - Very strong colony, so we moved all new brood frames (upper box) into a new brood box on the floor, plus two supers, and then an eke with old brood box with stores and old brood with a top entrance to allow drones to escape. This should encourage the movement of stores from the bottom brood box to move upwards and provide greater space for the queen to lay.
Hive 10 - As always the strongest colony, and it was preparing to swarm!
Now the theory became the reality. The New brood frames with open Queen cells moved to Hive Stand 7; then another frame and Queen cells moved to a Nucleus Box moved to Hive Stand 4.
Hive 8 is now High rise accommodation
And 4 becomes 6
And 4 becomes 6
A fantastic session in every sense, we all learnt a great deal from Stephen and Jim, especially important to us all in peak swarming season.
Ken - Apiary Supervisor
Ken - Apiary Supervisor