[oxnatbees] Re: Lifting 4 boxes etc
- From: "Andrew Bax" <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> (Redacted sender "andrew.bax" for DMARC)
- To: <oxnatbees@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2019 16:44:22 +0100
Paul’s remark that he has never had a Warre of more than four boxes reminds me
of a huge swarm I collected about 25 years ago. I was using Nationals at the
time and it expanded so rapidly that it filled two brood boxes and five supers
– probably more because I had to keep harvesting honey just to keep up with the
need to put on empty supers. That single colony produced 126lb of honey in its
first season. I attach one of my proudest photographs, taken with a 35mm camera
(remember those?).
Also, the queen was marked although the nearest beekeeper to me was nearly two
miles away as the bee flies. Swarms would normally settle much closer to the
parent hive, I believe.
The following year I raised some new queens from that colony but they didn’t
perform better than average - and neither did the original queen.
Andrew
From: oxnatbees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <oxnatbees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf
Of Oxnatbees
Sent: 30 April 2019 00:19
To: oxnatbees@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [oxnatbees] Lifting 4 boxes etc
I decided to send this to the List rather than just Marie. It's educatinal and
maybe someone will have better advice!
Marie mentioned:
I would also love some advice from you re one of my hives having 4 boxes full
of comb - & what to do about that. It's pretty hard trying to disassemble and
reassemble a Warre by yourself when it's full of honey! And how do I remove a
box when the hive is full of bees on every level. I'm pretty sure today's
swarm is from this same hive but when I glanced in through the windows it
looked as full as ever!?!
It is often tricky to tell a hive has swarmed 'cos bees in a crowded hive
expand to fill the space available!
OK first thing is to consider whether you really need to add a box? I would
generally add an empty box if all the boxes were full of comb, but why? (a) So
they can build down and I can eventually harvest the top box that Autumn; (b)
so they don't feel crowded and swarm. But, your hive has just swarmed. And, if
you have 4 boxes of empty comb, maybe adding another does nothing. I'd
appreciate others' views here. I've never had a colony grow beyond 4 boxes and
this is new territory for me.
Don't assume the comb is full of honey, especially after a swarm has emerged
(they take some with them).
The other day I lifted 3 boxes at once on 2 hives I was adding a 4th box to. It
was the absolute limit of what I could lift, and I made sure it was just a
quick sideways lift to a nearby robust chair, but I know that previously I have
been unable to lift 2 boxes when they were full of honey. So though I am NOT
recommending you lift 2, 3 or 4 boxes at once I think it worth saying that
maybe the task is not as forbidding as it seems. Now if you were asking in
Autumn, that would be a different matter...
In the past I have forcibly separated boxes, once using wire to slice them
apart (like cheesewire). This doesn't generally go well because you cut through
or rip apart comb (some combs do seem to go all the way down to the next set of
bars, no "bee space" gap) and you may end up cutting a bee or three. And you
inevitably cool brood. So you have dripping honey, possibly broken comb, alarm
pheromone etc and it gets quite exciting. The bees pour out...
But I noticed that when I remarkably lifted those boxes as a unit the other
day, the bees were pretty calm about it. Sure their floor temporarily
disappeared but, the nest wasn't disturbed, just rotated for a couple of
minutes. In fact one of the trickiest aspects was the BULK of moving 3 boxes at
once. I couldn't really get my arms in sensible locations for a stable lift
until I removed the roof and quilt box, then I could sort of tuck my chin over
the top.
So I think your best option, if you decide to add another box, is to get
someone to help you for a cautious 2-person simultaneous lift. They will need
full protective gear. In particular Wellington boots as bees will drop out the
bottom and try to crawl up your trousers.
By the way, the BBKA News this month says bees often get aggressive just before
swarming, something to do with multiple queens.Then they settle down again
after the swarm has flown. Fingers crossed...
Paul
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