HughMann
House Bee
So I am starting an out apiary next year and it is in the middle of a few miles of land owned by a friend.
I am building some long hives (12x14 framed), and am very interested in what Dr Leo advocates regarding hive management.
If (and this is what I have gleaned so far in research on the subject), when bees swarm they like to settle down at least 300feet away from their original hive, then I have plenty of places to capture them in swarm traps around the land (there are no mature rotting trees to compeate with my ideal homes!).
So instead of spending a LOT of time preventing swarms, I just collect them................... see where I am going with this?
All useful comments and links etc. appreciated
btw my long 12x14 hives will be equivalent to just over 4 nationals in a line with division boards and a multitude of entrance options so I can have anything from 2 frame mating to 16 frame full hive (plans to be released as soon as I have finished the builds). The main issue I am working on at the moment is separation of entrances. Any ideas on this would be interesting.
Thanks
I am building some long hives (12x14 framed), and am very interested in what Dr Leo advocates regarding hive management.
If (and this is what I have gleaned so far in research on the subject), when bees swarm they like to settle down at least 300feet away from their original hive, then I have plenty of places to capture them in swarm traps around the land (there are no mature rotting trees to compeate with my ideal homes!).
So instead of spending a LOT of time preventing swarms, I just collect them................... see where I am going with this?
All useful comments and links etc. appreciated
btw my long 12x14 hives will be equivalent to just over 4 nationals in a line with division boards and a multitude of entrance options so I can have anything from 2 frame mating to 16 frame full hive (plans to be released as soon as I have finished the builds). The main issue I am working on at the moment is separation of entrances. Any ideas on this would be interesting.
Thanks