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British Beekeepers Association Official Forum 

  • Dameree Swarm Control Method

  • Beginners forum, ask beekeeping related questions and get help from other experienced beekeepers. Please use the Search Feature please to avoid duplicated threads
Beginners forum, ask beekeeping related questions and get help from other experienced beekeepers. Please use the Search Feature please to avoid duplicated threads
 #2077  by Chrisbarlow
 23 Feb 2019, 16:06
If you want any tips on dameree swarm control, a couple of good places to look.

this is a good video on youtube, although it shows the colony with queen cells. I dont wait for queen cells, I would do a dameree when the colony is filling a brood with brood, stores and bees.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ6CE8nCbHQ


This is a written down process by sevenoaks beekeepers, although it is slightly different to the youtube video
http://www.sevenoaksbeekeepers.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Demaree-Method-of-Swarm-Control.pdf
 #2928  by Chrisbarlow
 05 May 2019, 18:54
With spring now well and truly sprung for me, this is definitely my preferred swarm control method. The two box method of pagden I find such a madness
 #2932  by Patrick
 06 May 2019, 08:58
Thanks for the links Chris. It’s what I usually do with a split board and my preferred method too. Personally I do wait until cells are started. Putting the queen on the bottom box works much better with a few drawn combs, a box just foundation sometimes results in trying to swarm again or worse vandalising outer foundation to use the wax to draw comb! I will nick an empty comb from another colony if necessary.

Honestly, don’t they realise the cost of the stuff?? :roll: :lol:
 #2938  by AdamD
 06 May 2019, 09:46
Patrick wrote:
06 May 2019, 08:58


Honestly, don’t they realise the cost of the stuff?? :roll: :lol:
:lol: :lol: :lol:
 #2942  by NigelP
 06 May 2019, 13:55
I'm with Patrick with a split board.
A classic Demaree is a lot of work as you are consonantly moving emptied brood frames from top box to bottom and laid ones back into top box. Most people are too lazy to do this so end up with the top brood b ox clogged with honey. Or at least that is what happened to me the few times I tried it (yes guilkty of being lazy!). Video with queen cells and demaree is so totally wrong it shows a fundamental lack of understanding as Demaree is purely a swarm, prevention method.
I love the Snelgrove boards, they are so versatile. You can use for swarm prevention, or after queen cells have formed as in Snelgrove method or 2 or do a vertical pagden spilt without needing and extra floor or roof or space.
Always a few laid in the back of the truck this time of year.
 #2944  by Patrick
 06 May 2019, 16:38
I am also a fan of ”Snelgroving” all my bog standard crownboards. A couple of diagonal saw cuts through to plywood centre board a couple of inches (oh alright, 50mm ish) wide and gimp pin in the middle to rotate round. Sorted.

Closed they are normal crown boards, opened and feed holes covered in gaffer tape they are split boards and can be used as solid floors if you run out and even emergency roofs. Can’t have enough of ‘em!

Some of my emergency split board floors have been in use for several years... must get round to making up a few “proper” floors - Ahem!
 #2945  by NigelP
 07 May 2019, 14:39
I solved , what to me, was the awkward bit of doing a full inspection of both brood boxes by having another Snelgrove board with me. Place top brood box on spare Snelgrove board which now becomes its' new floor . Put at an easy to examine height and examine. Then check rest of supers and bottom brood box. Then place top brood with it's new "floor" back on top. Then you can make further decisions depending on what you see....do you feed flying bees from top box back into bottom, leave be or whatever.
I like the versatility it brings to swarm control and I like the fact it's not using more apiary space up with more boxes in hive stands.