If one cannot be at one’s apiary every day, a swarm with a clipped Queen will go back into the original hive and then swarm with a virgin - which is no better and possibly worse. It works for you though.

@BlackMountainHoney

2 жыл бұрын

It buys you extra days and you often find them clustered up underneath. I rarely lose swarms now since clipping. Used to lose them ALL the time before. Those extra 3-4 days make a big difference for me

I note that you knock the queen cells down to just one. I did that last year and the one remaining queen cell didn’t hatch. I was away over the weekend, flight delayed which meant I didn’t get home until late last night. This morning my strongest colony swarmed and I lost them. I found 6 swarm cells and have knocked them back to just 2. I have then removed some frames of brood and replaced them with drawn out comb. My thoughts are that the first virgin queen to emerge will find a hive with plenty of space and this will deter her from swarming immediately; hopefully she will do for her sister and I will have a requeened colony - thoughts?

@blackberry5908

2 жыл бұрын

I saw a video of a beekeeper that left all the queen cells (around 5) to get higher chance of getting a queen and it worked. One queen cell is risky imo when making a split.

@blackberry5908

2 жыл бұрын

@Tasteofgoatfart how do you know your only queen inside your cell is not dead before making the split Mr.Commercial beekeeper

I marked a Queen the other day and she fainted. Just inert. Put her back in the hive. Condition uncertain. Have you had this happen when clipping?

@mariadracona

Ай бұрын

It happens. They get extremely stressed out. Imagine being picked up and grabbed and meddled with by something 1000 times your size. It's just shock.

There are no benefits, its a practice that anyone who respects the natural environment should condemn. Its a selfish beekeeping outdated practice.

@BlackMountainHoney

2 жыл бұрын

We are all entitled to our opinions. It significantly reduces the chances of prime swarms being lost which is good for disease control and saves your neighbours paying £££ to get them out of the chimney. What are the benefits of not clipping queen?

@MRB0101

2 жыл бұрын

@@BlackMountainHoney Disappointed that you continue to try and find justifications. I have been keeping bees for nearly 50 years and have never resorted to this practice. It's just a cop out for some beekeepers to make their life easier. No arguments, in my opinion, can justify this practice. Think how stressful it must be for the Queen bee. Don't tell me you also support the docking of puppies tails ?

@BlackMountainHoney

2 жыл бұрын

@@MRB0101 Ridiculous comment. I see you have no counter argument. Nipping a wing is like clipping a toenail. The colony would supercede if it was damaging. The queen does no need to fly. Likening it to docking a puppies tale shows no reasonable discussion can take place here.

@peterrat100

2 жыл бұрын

It takes me hours to circumcise the drones.

@Beetrueuk

2 жыл бұрын

This mark guy is exactly what’s wrong with the world, has no logical counter opinion just a old fashion way of thinking. Keep up the good videos Lawrence 👍🏾