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If you're an amateur beekeeper chances are high you're in a populated area, and it's irresponsible to let your hives swarm repeatedly. I'm also not convinced t
by kaikai 8y ago
If you're an amateur beekeeper chances are high you're in a populated area, and it's irresponsible to let your hives swarm repeatedly.
I'm also not convinced this works; hives generally swarm in the spring, and most beekeepers also do a round of treatment in the fall to knock down levels for the winter. Harvesting drone brood is a common way to achieve the same thing you're trying to do, and can be done any time of year.
- lostlogin 8y agoI’m not sure why this is so down voted as it is accurate. Treatment is in spring and autumn and for some, all winter. It’s basically whenever there isn’t honey onboard and sometimes when there is. Swarming radically reduces honey production (swarm versus non swarm honey production is about 10kgs versus 80kgs for me this year, YMMV). Swarming is not good management, results in exterminators being called and irritates people. It’s also destructive of property depending on where they go. And what if you don’t catch them? It’s good that the new colony has less varroa, but if it’s not yours anymore it doesn’t really achieve anything.