Hello Everyone, I started coming to this forum a couple of years ago. Just started bee keeping then. Had what I considered alot of the normal questions for someone just starting out. Got allot of my answers just by reading the forum. Started out with one package. Made my hive after the D.E modification kit. Don't know if I'm sold on it yet. Made a slatted bottom board changing direction of the slatts. I really like that. Made a Miller feeder. It works. Think I'll go to baggie feeder's though. I want to thank Michael Bush for recommending the Golden Bee Suit. Didn't have to wait very long for it considering they're kind of Tailor made. Kind of got stung thru the glove this year. Felt it, but it didn't pierce the skin. Now for the fun stuff. Got my package through the post office. My wife went with me to pick them up. Said she wasn't riding in the truck with the bee's. She did. Quietest I've ever saw her. Heck she'll even mow around them now. So I installed the package and feed them some sugar syrup. They swarmed. Feed to much even though they still had foundation to draw out [small cell figured they draw it out the way they wanted too]. No honey the first year. They did finish both brood boxes. Next spring I rotated boxes and put on honey super with no excluder. I have one just didn't want to use it. Guess what? They still swarmed. I did get nine frames of capped honey. Gave some to my neighbors and family. Sold the rest. One friend of mine bought them all. He mixes it apple cider and water for some type of health recipe. Never saw the money, think my wife got it. That's okay, she let buy an extractor. Couldn't see the crush and strain. That drawn comb is like gold to me. Plus I'd like to try checker boarding. So what am I going to do next year? Buy another package and and split the origanal hive to prevent the swarming. Going to do a cut down split and let them make there own queen. On the new package I'll not feed as much and if they look like they over crowding I'll move half the brood nest up to the top super to spread them out and encourage them to work the rest of their foundation. My only problem with splitting is it's so hard to find her Majesty. Anyone ever try that Marburg Swarm Box? It's descibed on Dave Cushmans site. If I find her, I think marking her is the way to go. I'm definitely open for advice and constructive criticism. Thank's and ya'll have a nice day. JD
Sounds like you've learned a lot JD. I would suggest you find out when the bees in your area start gearing up for reproductive swarming (mine begin late Feb) and prepare to make splits when temps are right, don't forget to move the primary queen into a new set up or they may not be fooled into thinking they have swarmed. This is what I do and it works for me. I have not used the method you described, Marburg method.
I would also suggest you put out some swarm traps within 100yards of your apiary and some further than that so that you may intercept and catch some new colonies.
I believe most will tell you that there's no 100% way to keep bees that have made up their mind to swarm, even with contraptions, from what I have gathered that's just the way it is with beekeeping. We can't always be in the hive 24/7 and some just get away from you.
The wife probably kept the money and went shopping. ;)
...JP
So I guess using the queen excluder between the boxes would be the best way. Four days later look for eggs. JD