Thank you, Paul for the Voice of Reason.
As Goethe, the German writer was reported as saying: "There is nothing more
terrible than to witness ignorance in action".
Eric
________________________________
From: oxnatbees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <oxnatbees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> on behalf
of Oxnatbees <oxnatbees@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: 02 June 2020 08:26
To: oxnatbees@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <oxnatbees@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [oxnatbees] Re: OBKA newsletter
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The queen may be old, but is usually rapidly superseded.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<mailto: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
