MillerThousand AnswersBeekeepingQuestions.pdf - BioBees

Demaree,240 DR. miller'snever be certain of it. Yet it is a rare thing that a colony swarmsa third time, as in your case. Yet I should not be much afraid tobreed from such a queen if the colony greatly exceeds othercolonies in storing. (See "Put-up Plan.")Q. To prevent swarming, I will shove the pile of supers backso as to make an opening of one-half inch for ventilation alongthe front. Will this prevent swarming and affect the storing ofhoney?A. Ventilating in that way is a help against swarming, although,of course, it will not prevent it. I have practiced it much,and never knew any harm to come from it in the way of chillingbees. The only harm is that sections next to the opening are delayedin being finished, but not always. Instead of being shovedback, I shove the lower section-super forward. I have used theplan with extracting-supers, and "stuttered" them; that is, Ishoved the lower super forward, the next back, the next forward,and so on.Q. If the queen is given plenty of room, will swarming be prevented,even though the hive be crowded with bees?A. It would certainly decrease the tendencj' to swarm, justas increasing the queen's room for eggs always does; vifhetherit could be relied on in all cases as an entire preventative is hardt.j say without trying. I should rather e.xpect it would, so longa.'', fresh room for the queen is constantly given, and even whenthe flow comes and the lower hive is given above as an extractingsuper,there ought to be little inclination to swarming, as in thecase of the Demaree plan.Q. I kept my bees from swarming two years ago by placingthe brood over the queen with an excluder between. When buckwheatcame on, I had my hives chock-full of bees. I also had severalswarms in September, and that's rather late for XorthernNew York. I'd like to know how to stop them at that time.A. Yes, that's the plan given by G. \\ ,a Kentuckianwho was prominent in the ranks some years ago. The plan isgood and the pity of it is that it will work only for extracted, notcom];). The brood-combs being put above become extracting-C( nibs. To prevent swarming in September (which is not usual,I think, but may come where there is a fall flow), it might work totry the same plan over again; extract the frames in an upperstory, put them in the lower story with the queen, the broodabove, excluder between. If this is done just as buckwheat begins,it seems it ought to work as well as earlier.