Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: shakedown  (Read 5182 times)

Offline Mici

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1502
  • Gender: Male
  • tougher than rock
    • http://www.carantha.net/carantha_table_of_contents.htm
shakedown
« on: May 16, 2007, 08:57:39 pm »
HI!
another regression topic!
so..this year i'm "intensively" regressing my bees, or at least trying to do it :-D, so i have another question, i think that dee lusby perfers shakedown method for regression and i kind of get the big picture but..will my bees cope with it?

so...my bees are in two deeps, with a queen excludor in between. they've already built me lot's of comb but...ah well i'm a capitalist, LOL they'll call in the Union, hehe.
anyway, could they cope if i took out all of the supers comb, moved the brood box combs up and let only one comb with the queen down bellow, so they'd be forced to build worker comb, and comb in general, for brood of course! now i'm worried because most of the comb-building season is gone..i have...maybe a month or so left, i think that it's up until...21. 6 on the summer solctice, the colonies slowly start to decrease in strenght so does the building.

have any good ideas on how to stimulate them to draw comb-besides feedeeing which i'm not gonna do-i want HONEY :-D

Offline doak

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1788
  • Gender: Male
Re: shakedown
« Reply #1 on: May 16, 2007, 11:27:27 pm »
Not into going to small cells right now. But the March swarm gave me a chance to get some comb drawn. At the time I didn't have so many medium honey supers made up so the third one I put on was a deep. It is one I'll be taking off tomorrow. I have some other colonies that need a deep.
I don't mind working with a deep full of honey, as long as I have some other deeps I can take half the frames and make it 5 frames each. Then they are still as heavy as a medium.
doak

Offline Michael Bush

  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 19832
  • Gender: Male
    • bushfarms.com
Re: shakedown
« Reply #2 on: May 17, 2007, 10:23:08 am »
>i think that dee lusby perfers shakedown method for regression and i kind of get the big picture but..will my bees cope with it?

It is much more stress.  You should use an excluder between the bees and the entrance as an "includer" as they often abscond when shaken down.  I prefer a more patient and less stressful approach.

My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
-------------------
"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin

Offline Mici

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1502
  • Gender: Male
  • tougher than rock
    • http://www.carantha.net/carantha_table_of_contents.htm
Re: shakedown
« Reply #3 on: May 17, 2007, 10:42:11 am »
ok, i'll keep in mind, although would they leave the brood? because i don't know if i can actually call it shakedown.
you see, if you remember, my hives are limited to two deeps, one is super one is broodnest. basicly i would be only forcing the bees to draw comb so the queen would have place to lay eggs in.
to tell it in LR words if i was using 2 deeps
remove and empty the upper deep, fill it with 10 frames-starter strips and put in the queen, put queen excludor over it, put the former brood chamber above the excludor. i hope you get the picture. and i would appreciate the opinion!

 i think that this way i would also get more appropriately made brood nest.
« Last Edit: May 17, 2007, 08:07:50 pm by Mici »

Offline doak

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1788
  • Gender: Male
Re: shakedown
« Reply #4 on: May 18, 2007, 05:48:26 pm »
The nurse bees will not abandon brood.
What I would do if I wanted to do one box is put new frames with strips on bottom. put a queen excluder between the two. make sure the queen is on bottom. Also make sure to leave a exit for the drones.
"OR", you could do this when adding the second deep. They will build comb from a wax strip 3 times+ as fast as they would from Plastic foundation.
Any time you're working with Bees, It is a good thing to look at all sides of the situation, "IF" you can find them.
doak

Offline Michael Bush

  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 19832
  • Gender: Male
    • bushfarms.com
Re: shakedown
« Reply #5 on: May 20, 2007, 08:04:06 pm »
>ok, i'll keep in mind, although would they leave the brood? because i don't know if i can actually call it shakedown.

If you leave brood, then it is not a shakedown.  They will not usually leave brood.

My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
-------------------
"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin

Offline Mici

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1502
  • Gender: Male
  • tougher than rock
    • http://www.carantha.net/carantha_table_of_contents.htm
Re: shakedown
« Reply #6 on: May 20, 2007, 08:16:51 pm »
i thought so
but could i call it a mild shakedown :) basicly, the sole purpose of it, is to get the bees to build new comb so the queen has place to lay eggs in.

Offline Michael Bush

  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 19832
  • Gender: Male
    • bushfarms.com
Re: shakedown
« Reply #7 on: May 20, 2007, 10:43:12 pm »
I think your method of leaving some brood is an improvement.
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
-------------------
"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin