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Author Topic: Demaree Method  (Read 1836 times)

Offline 11nick

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Demaree Method
« on: May 28, 2012, 02:34:07 pm »
There's conflicting opinions on use of Queen excluder below supers.  I'm hoping this conversation doesn't go in that direction, as the Demaree Method seems to use the excluder for slightly different reason.  I'd rather hear your thoughts on the concept of holding the queen to only lower deep.
Book: "The Complete Guide to Beekeeping", Roger Morse, pgs 63 + 88.
The Demaree Method involves moving the queen to the lower hive body in July, placing the excluder on, and adding the second hive body and super(s) on top.  Purpose: by July, the lower deep usually has a great amount of vacancy.  The queen will be restricted to this box for egg laying.  With the amount of empty cells, she can't fill the box, as the first eggs laid will have hatched before the box is full, and she can, in theory, start over again.  The lower deep is also used for storage of pollen.  The top deep is then used by the colony for nothing but honey, giving a heavy supply by fall of year.
Morse proposes this method for two reasons: swarm prevention, and ensuring a better store of honey for the hive heading into winter.

Again, not exactly looking for opinions on the general use of excluders, but the idea of restricting the queen to only the lower deep in mid to late summer.

I would have thought this would encourage swarming.  Does timing (July) affect this?  It would seem that, if used by the majority of the bees, a top entrance may help this method work better than a bottom entrance???

Note: I have never had hives.  Just learning.  So I have no experience from which to form my own opinions on this concept.

Thanks.  Have a wonderful holiday weekend.

Offline Vance G

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Re: Demaree Method
« Reply #1 on: May 28, 2012, 05:05:01 pm »
You could do far worse than listening to Roger Morse.  By July, the colonies have mostly given up on swarming for the year.  That allows you do things a little differently.  Comb honey production is a major use of Demareeing.    There are endless ways of keeping bees and arriving at results that include a strong healthy spring survivor colony.   I think that removing supers before the last of the flow is preferable for me.  My bees are probably going to be in the top box in the spring and I would like them to have some pollen stored there!  Good question.

 

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