Snelgrove method of swarm control

A demo of the a version of Snelgrove method of swarm control (Artificial swarming) - done in late April, earlier than in most years on a double brood colony.
The method involves separating the queen and the older foraging (flying) bees from the nurse bees and brood. However in this method it is done vertically and not horizontally. The queen is move to a new box on the original site
The brood and younger nurse bees are in the original box moved aside and will raise queen cells which often need to be thinned to one selected cell to avoid cast swarms.
The full method involves a complex time consuming sequence of opening and closing the doors in the board to balance the bees in the hives. It's often used just as an upper entrance pointing in a different direction.

[@marcmearns7592]

Can you please confirm and I stand to be corrected. You are using a Snelgrove to do a demarie. You could have just added an eke with an entrance. The eke is so simple to make. 4 bits of wood and a slot cut out so the bees in the top brood box can fly in and out. Snelgrove is really to stop swarming by using manipulations of the doors. You could have still had the Snelgrove board turned round to the front so the entrance is at the front. This is better as it gives you the added additional option to merge the colonies later on. Nice video.

[@newcastledistrictbeekeeper5432]

Not quite the same as Demaree or an eke. The snelgrove board actually divides the two colonies, although the mesh in the board means they can still smell each other which can make uniting simpler if that is the eventual aim. The multiple doors in a Snelgrove board are to balance colony strengths but often this isn't essential

[@stevefox8948]

Good demonstration thanks

[@robertchristian1664]

so will colonies produce a honey crop ? and do you have to keep adding super to both colonies ?

[@newcastledistrictbeekeeper5432]

Depends on the time of year the split is done. Better than losing a swarm. A Demaree may help retain honey crop

[@arthursausage]

But this is an artificial swam. You just happened to use a snelgrove board to cerate a top entrance.

[@newcastledistrictbeekeeper5432]

Yes indeed and it works as a simplified vertical split. It's the outcome that's key.

[@MrLiquidglass]

what month did you do this manipulation ?

[@newcastledistrictbeekeeper5432]

That was late April 2020, normally May but everything several weeks early in 2020

[@cherishpasi7850]

Did you kill the new queen or what does it mean what you did

[@newcastledistrictbeekeeper5432]

I'm not sure I full understand the question. The is a method of artificially swarming a colony, the original queen is placed in the lower brood box.

[@ME_MeAndMyBees]

Hi there. Some Years later ! He basically made the Bees think a :'Swarm had occurred' but they didn't ! By doing this manipulation. 🤞 That 'other' Box makes a 'new' Queen from that QC. This Box is basically a "New Colony" of its own dynamics. Either move it onto its own Stand as another Bee Hive in your Apiary. Or look and search for the 'older' Queen / or the poorer performer of Brood laying. (A Virgin Queen might have not got 'Mated' well!?!) Meaning she maybe 'younger' but not as good, to that of the main Older Queen ! Understand what you 'see' before 'mashing' anyone. Or you could do a Split Nuc : add the Older Queen and a Frame or two of Brood Frames & Bees And sell this onto another Beek. Or finally you could ask yourself, is your Older Queen likely to go through another Autum, a long Winter ? And still be a good layer at the time Drones come back on the Scene !?! eg next May the following Spring ! (That could be nearly x9 months where a Colony might think to replace 'her' but as everything relates to available VQ being well 'Mated'!?! So remember : this Colony could go what they call "Hopelessly Queenless". The Workers : become the 'Egg' layers (only Drones!) But with no more 'Worker Brood' being born (Only a mated Queen can choose to lay Workers: adding in Sperm (from her Sperm reserves) or she decides the Colony needs that Springs 'Drone' population (to aid post Swarm VQ mating !) A Queen can turn on/off her fertile egg laying !!! The Colony will die out if its HQL and a Worker breeds 'drones' ! Drones are basically the 'greater good' go out and Mate 'other VQs out there. (While we at home will Cease to exist. . .😢 If you keep the 'New' Queen' Mark her with a Year Colour (if you want to remember who she is and how old Year wise.) If a Queen is seen with 'no Mark' she's been superceded with the bees own made other 'Queen'! Finally. Some Beeks 'dispatch' that older Queen and add her into a Dark Glass Bottle with a bit of Rubbing Alcohol in it.. . Drop 'her' in. You have some DIY 'Swarm Lure' !!! The QMP that Queen omits/steeps in that RA, becomes a 'Scent' of ex Queen. The more RIP Queens you add the more Fragrant that 'Lure' becomes. Hope this all helps. 😎 Ps. If you don't want more Colonies, and didn't sell on a Nuc. Choose the Younger Queen, dispatch the older one. And combine this "two" Colony Stack by using some sheets of Newspaper with some slits added into it . The upper Colony (where the Queen isn't in (you may need to move that younger Queen Box, to be the Base Brood, and the ex Queen Brood put up top. Bees will chew that Paper, and slowly introduce each one to each other through touch, and moving 'colony' Scent about both Boxes. Meaning both have united successfully. 😏