Horsley Board

[matty]

Any views experience of using one
I am thinking of get one as it looks likes it has a some benefits over normal methods Takes less kit and space and easier than a snelgrove.

http://barnsleybeekeepers.org.uk/horsley.html

 

[enrico]

Never used the method but often wondered how you relocate the top bb with the new queen without moving them three miles away. Surely all the flying bees would be lost again if you put the new queen in the same apiary!
E

 

[susbees]

Opposing entrances....drop the top box onto a new floor, as it is.

 

[enrico]

Opposing entrances....drop the top box onto a new floor, as it is.

Exactly, they would fly back to the old hive position where the entrance would be on the other side of the hive! Their hive would have the entrance facing the right way but in a different hive position! I am sure it works but just wondered how!
E

 

[Foxylad]

See, also......

http://www.bee-craft.com/the-horsley-board/

 

[Adie]

I use a Horsley board and it can work very well. Just a couple of things to watch/consider:

leave only one queen cell in the top box to avoid swarming - check again at day three - you may find lots more queen cells have been produced.

check that the top box is not too crowded.

this technique can result in a very large colony; great for honey production, but not ideally suited to small gardens with neighbours.

great technique for replacing comb, but only use it when there is a nectar flow on.

Adrian

 

[Arfermo]

Never used the method but often wondered how you relocate the top bb with the new queen without moving them three miles away. Surely all the flying bees would be lost again if you put the new queen in the same apiary!
E

I use this method for splitting when I need/want to. When I take the top BB off I stuff the entrance with grass and leave them on the new site in the garden a mere or so 20m away. By the time they have chewed their way out (3-4 days or so) they reorientate with no trouble to date.

 

[Tom Bick]

I made five last year gave one away so along with a couple of snelgrove boards I like to think (hope) I am covered this year as I am becoming a fan of vertical swarm control.

 

[Nige.Coll]

An old beekeeper was talking about the use of this method at a meeting.
He didn't use the name Horsley Board .
Thanks for the post it has made what he was talking about make sense.

 

[YorkshireBees]

Personally after making a snelgrove board and trying that one year I now make a simple demaree board and use a version of demaree as I find it suits my needs better and is far simpler.

Vertical swarm control is by far the best method for my apiaries and helps build very large colonies.

 

[Arfermo]

I made five last year gave one away so along with a couple of snelgrove boards I like to think (hope) I am covered this year as I am becoming a fan of vertical swarm control.

Vertical split per Ken Basterfield in BBKA news November 2013 simple.

 

[matty]

Thanks for the replays i will get one and try it out

 

[Nige.Coll]

just made one to try the idea looks good.

 

[matty]

Thorns want £60 but found a cheaper one at £30 as my skills are not up to making one