It has no merit. Did you know a few conventiomal beeks collect swarms just
for the workers? They kill the queen and merge the workers into another
hive to get More Honey.
Swarms are unlikely to carry disease, that's one of the functions of
swarming, a disease / pest firebreak.
The queen may be old, but is usually rapidly superseded. Prime swarms are
prized for their vigour.
I'm coming to think swarminess is mostly a function of the cavity size
available for the brood nest. And historically, there are indications
excessive swarminess was boosted when people began importing Carniolans to
Britain.
Back around 2012 I had an unpleasant conversation with a conventional beek
who disapproved of our style. He told me he had collected 200 swarms and
they were all rubbish, aggressive etc. All I could say was I had collected
a handful and had not had any problems. Now, though, I have a more
comprehensive perspective: I've collected 50 and our group as a whole must
have collected 200. In all that time we've only had one aggressive swarm
(from Kidlington). And I have since heard that beek is infamous for his
rough handling of bees...
Conventional beeks pay little attention to swarms, regarding them as a
nuisance not a blessing. They know less than they think about them.
Paul
On Tue, 2 Jun 2020, 07:05 Karen Giles, <karen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
At the risk of boiling a few people’s blood I have just read this from
this months BBKA newsletter.......
“From a bee welfare point of view, a swarm should be hived as soon as
possible after collection.
Swarms are not necessarily the best way of starting with bees. The bees
are likely to be naturally swarmy; they may be diseased; the queen may be
old; and they may be of uncertain temperament. Any of these could provide
difficulties for a beginner.”
My earnest question is, is there any science backing this up or is it a
commercial style beekeepers assumptions or maybe even justification for
their swarm control and queen control methods?
It instinctively made me a bit cross is my swarm are thriving and so
gentle, my TBH is now nearly 3/4 full of lovely fresh comb but I would love
to know if their opinions have any merit.
K
