I guess I feel the same way as Jazz. On other sites there has been loud criticism of people not watching for or controlling swarms. (Bad beekeeper! No donut! No honey!)
To control swarms, there needs to be regular checks for queen cells. People say the best time to check for queen cells is every 7-9 days.
I’ve also read that important maintenance that has to be done has to be done, regardless of weather.
I’ve also heard “let them sit and stop bugging them”.
On my last inspection they were tetchy. I did find a tiny queen cup on an outside frame at the bottom. (I removed it.) They should have ample space if they use it. I last checked them on Thursday last week. I was looking forward to checking on them this weekend, but now it looks like rain for a few days.
It makes me nervous not to check at all for 17 days if I have to wait until *next* Saturday rather than *this* Saturday.
To control swarms, there needs to be regular checks for queen cells. People say the best time to check for queen cells is every 7-9 days.
I’ve also read that important maintenance that has to be done has to be done, regardless of weather.
I’ve also heard “let them sit and stop bugging them”.
On my last inspection they were tetchy. I did find a tiny queen cup on an outside frame at the bottom. (I removed it.) They should have ample space if they use it. I last checked them on Thursday last week. I was looking forward to checking on them this weekend, but now it looks like rain for a few days.
It makes me nervous not to check at all for 17 days if I have to wait until *next* Saturday rather than *this* Saturday.
Running "Foundationless All Mediums with No Queen Excluder". Each box is national spec, but 190mm deep.