First Lecture of the Year

Well we are only just into the new year and we have already had another winter meeting. This months topic was


Swarming - Opportunity or Problem

A straw pole of the around 50 members present showed that a few honest soles thought that it was a problem and the majority thought that it was an opportunity. However a few more thought that swarming caused them a problem.

Anyway there were many interesting photos, of swarms and I thought a very even balances lecture which tried to cater for anything from the beginning to the most experienced beekeeper. I believe nearly everybody came away with some new ideas, the few which stuck in my head are:


1) When collecting a swarm in a difficult place for example in the centre of a conifer hedge, you could remove a frame of brood from a hive, shaking all the bees of it and then place it as near the swarm as you can, and the bees will look after the brood and hopeful you will be able to gradually move the swarm out, as the bees will always look after brood.

2) When supering in the spring, it is always best to super early so the bees have plenty of space but sometimes this can cool the hive down, so you can simply seperate the supers with a sheet of newspaper and then the bees will go through it when they are ready.

3) There is a theory that when bees are building wax they are much less likely to swarm, therefore rather than go through the hive each week, you have broad chamber, drawn comb super, crown board - with holes open - another super with just foundation in it another crown board then roof.  Then all you do for your weekly inspection is look and see if the bees are building wax.   If they are building wax, they are not getting ready to swarm... if they are not building wax then you investigate further....  something we might try at the apiary this year.

We are hoping to do the oxalic acid, this Sunday 9th January at 11am at the apiary. Will report back.