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| swarm cells on a frame |
This blog is for beekeepers in Northern climates. I will be describing what I am doing with my bees on a monthly schedule. Copying any text or photos is forbidden except with written authorization of the author.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
How to do a divide
I have heard of swarming starting to happen. If you have strong overwintered colonies, swarm control measures should in effect. Going through the hive and looking for swarm cells. Remove the swarm cells before the bees swarm. If a hive swarms a beekeeper does not want that virgin queen to emerge from the cell. Right now in the upper midwest, the odds of a virgin queen getting properly mated are slim to none. If a virgin queen gets loose in the hive and you try to requeen the hive, the virgin queen will kill the queen you just paid $30.00 for every time. Don't let it get to that point, remove the swarm cells.
How to do a divide Click this link for dividing a colony. It lays out the procedure of how to do a divide.