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Author Topic: Treat the cut out like a swarm  (Read 3163 times)

Offline Thebulimicbee

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Treat the cut out like a swarm
« on: September 23, 2016, 11:56:05 pm »
Wondering if any one that does cut out do this. Almost every time I do cut outs and try to rubber band the comb into frames it seems the hive always either absconds or are over run with wax moth or other pests, even if I just use a piece or two of comb. Now that I started throwing away all comb and treating them like a swarm I have had much better luck and the hives seem healthier.

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Treat the cut out like a swarm
« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2016, 09:19:41 am »
I do not see this happen. My observation hive was a small cut out and had lots of rubber bands in it. They are growing nicely. All of the rubber bands are gone except one that is hanging. Over a frame and is glued in.
I had to cut comb out of the bottom of most of my swarm traps this spring and most of them produced 2 supers of honey during the summer flow and a few even produced a super of honey during the spring flow.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
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Offline iddee

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Re: Treat the cut out like a swarm
« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2016, 10:37:21 am »
It sounds like you are saving more than brood comb if you are having trouble afterward. Save empty comb or honey/pollen comb and it will be a disaster. Save brood comb only and it works quite well.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

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Offline DavidD

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Re: Treat the cut out like a swarm
« Reply #3 on: September 24, 2016, 12:34:07 pm »
had this happen once .  my fault I put some honey in bad idea :oops:

Offline gww

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Re: Treat the cut out like a swarm
« Reply #4 on: September 24, 2016, 12:55:47 pm »
Abby warre in his book "Beekeeping for all"  when filling new hives in spring was a big proponant of discarding all brood and just starting with the bees.  He gave a couple of reasons but for the life of me, I can't remember them with out reading his book again.
Cheers
gww

Offline mtnb

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Re: Treat the cut out like a swarm
« Reply #5 on: September 28, 2016, 10:27:22 am »
Should one cage the queen for a bit after a cut out?
I'd rather be playing with venomous insects
GO BEES!

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Treat the cut out like a swarm
« Reply #6 on: September 28, 2016, 11:51:26 am »
The secrete is to only do about half of the brood comb and none of the honey comb.  Harvest all the honey.  Scrap half of the brood.  You need enough bees to cover the brood well.  Make sure some of that brood is open brood and eggs.  Open brood does the most to anchor bees.  Put them in the minimum space they will easily fit in until they start to turn around.  Bees don't like too much room.  They don't like screened bottom boards or too much ventilation.
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