Beekeeping Swarm Control: Checkerboarding 101

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  • čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
  • Beekeeping swarm control known as checkerboard can help reduce swarms and make more honey.
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Komentáře • 39

  • @hillkid4mountains
    @hillkid4mountains Před 5 měsíci +14

    I have never tried this kind of checker boarding because I extract my medium honey supers then store them. I would not checkerboard an empty drawn out foundation with a brand new waxed undrawn foundation for the following reasons. If there is a heavy flow the honeybees fill out that drawn out foundation first and then sometimes keep going into the bee space all the way almost up against the undrawn one. Especially if it is plastic, waxed or unwaxed, and not draw out the other one next to it much at all. I will put 5 drawn on one side and 5 undrawn on the other side of the box. Usually all you have to check is that two in the middle. You can turn that 5th one that is drawn out as they begin to fill it around towards the 4th drawn out one until the six undrawn one is mostly built out, and so on until when they are capped. Then you are solid! I will undercut a mostly filled medium with a medium of waxed foundation. And sometimes replace one undrawn one with a drawn out one as a bait for them to come up especially if you use a metal excluder as I do. Thanks for the video and Take care. 🐝

  • @mikejohnson3375
    @mikejohnson3375 Před 5 měsíci +11

    Thanks. I was always under the impression that you checker boarded the deeps. This makes much more sense.

    • @beek
      @beek  Před 5 měsíci

      Thanks, like I said some people do checker board the deeps but it's suppose to be only the honey supers.

  • @patrickkeating2860
    @patrickkeating2860 Před 5 měsíci +14

    So I guess it might prevent swarming but how can it produce more honey if you're starting out with "old" honey in half the frames? That part makes no sense to me

    • @beek
      @beek  Před 5 měsíci +1

      The idea is to add lots more supers throughout the year whereas sometimes a colony may not pull out the wax in a super or fill it at all.

  • @DSResch
    @DSResch Před 5 měsíci +1

    You are my favorite person on CZcams and thanks for all you do, I've learned a TON!!!
    Do you believe checkerboarding is as effective with horizontal hives?
    Thanks again.

    • @beek
      @beek  Před 5 měsíci +1

      Well thank you so much! I've never tried checkerboarding on a horizontal hive. Possibly, but I'd say I wouldn't count on it. Worth the experiment though.

  • @randyjones2204
    @randyjones2204 Před 5 měsíci

    David, I have been checker boarding now for a couple of years. I usual do not have drawn out wax, so I use foundation ready to be drawn out and have had great success in doing so. It also helps to draw the foundation sooner .Living in southern Tennessee Might be some difference into why they are more eager to draw wax in this way.
    Great video and info, glad to watch and listen.
    Thanks
    Tennessee Woodbee Bee Tender

    • @beek
      @beek  Před 5 měsíci

      Great tip!

  • @vetsis3billionddola
    @vetsis3billionddola Před 5 měsíci

    I am very impressed with your beekeeping knowledge and skills!

    • @beek
      @beek  Před 5 měsíci

      Thank you very much!

  • @bradgoliphant
    @bradgoliphant Před 5 měsíci

    Thx David. Great stuff

    • @beek
      @beek  Před 5 měsíci

      Thanks Brad

  • @peppershake414
    @peppershake414 Před 5 měsíci

    I’m feeding sugar water here in Maine and will be taking off once dandelions come, probably first of may, maybe a week later, and that is when I will put supers on using this method. But don’t think this is 30 days before swarm season here in central Maine. Would this method still work.

    • @beek
      @beek  Před 5 měsíci

      I wish I knew. I'm still not 100% impressed with checkerboarding to prevent swarming. My video was made to explain how it allegedly works. I've had hives and nucs swarm with no honey on board...so there's that.

  • @georgeashmore7317
    @georgeashmore7317 Před 5 měsíci

    Thanks Dave! Always love your videos. Please help me understand the advantage of checkerboarding vs simply adding a honey super of drawn out comb. Why add the 5 frames of honey? Thanks! George

    • @beek
      @beek  Před 5 měsíci

      I believe the concept is that bee can see/tell that their honey super is NOT full causing them to want to fill those 5 empty frames. Of course, it seems to me that by removing the honey super and placing an empty one with drawn comb would do the same thing, but perhaps those 5 filled frames drive them to fill between the gaps. It's not my method of choice, but I wanted to make a video explaining how it allegedly works.

    • @georgeashmore7317
      @georgeashmore7317 Před 5 měsíci

      Thanks Dave! Appreciate your response. I’ve learned so much from you. Just installed first 2 nucs over the weekend. I’m amazed at the bees already coming back to the hive with pollen.

  • @charliegioe3158
    @charliegioe3158 Před 5 měsíci

    Do you but I understand that whole method very good at making more honey why can’t you do that to the Brood box to give the queen more living room why wouldn’t Net work and prevent swarming also Charlie PA great video by the way hope everybody’s well thank you

    • @beek
      @beek  Před 5 měsíci

      Many people do.

  • @halfcircleworkshop
    @halfcircleworkshop Před 5 měsíci

    David must have a giant freezer

    • @beek
      @beek  Před 5 měsíci +1

      It's about the size of a refrigerator.

  • @e.l.1303
    @e.l.1303 Před 5 měsíci +1

    New Bobblehead David almost looks like he's wearing a fencing suit with a beekeepers hat, as his outfit is closer fitting than most people's bee suits. Cute, though! Sometime both bobbleheads will have to collaborate on a mini hive inspection, LOL!

  • @mikebarnard7925
    @mikebarnard7925 Před 5 měsíci

    Is checkerboarding more effective than adding an empty super under the full one?

    • @beek
      @beek  Před 5 měsíci

      It’s likely that the bees will still know they have a full one.

  • @jayglosser2014
    @jayglosser2014 Před 5 měsíci

    Thanks David for taking the time to video this process. I'm going to do this Sunday or Monday if it warms up. It got to 37 today but again it is getting colder and snowing. HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND AND ECLIPSE 👍

  • @brendajenkins5264
    @brendajenkins5264 Před 5 měsíci +4

    I'm in the process catching a swarm from my own hive! Super exciting.

  • @BestBuzzHoneyBees
    @BestBuzzHoneyBees Před 5 měsíci +4

    I had my earliest swarm ever this year on March 21. I came home at lunch to see a swarm going into a Nuc box I had just set up 3 days before that.

  • @jweaver7170
    @jweaver7170 Před 5 měsíci

    Will the bees clean old dead brood out of cells for honey. Thanks for the help keep up the great work.

  • @kylefrench7985
    @kylefrench7985 Před 5 měsíci

    Great follow up video to your live stream last night!!! Thanks for all your efforts(I) we appreciate it

  • @lmorris4228
    @lmorris4228 Před 5 měsíci

    Dave love your videos. Looking for information about how to manage after a swarm leaves. What do I do to take care of the colony left behind?

    • @beek
      @beek  Před 5 měsíci

      Wait about a week to two weeks and make sure you have a queen laying eggs.

  • @rodkirt9273
    @rodkirt9273 Před 5 měsíci

    I am concerned about the future of honeybee keeping :
    I posted that I was going to install 3 nucs into their permanent hives this weekend in a Georgia Honeybee Group ( that I am a member of ) and I received absolutely ZERO RESPONSES !!🤔🤷‍♂️

    • @beek
      @beek  Před 5 měsíci +1

      Beekeeping can be (not always) very much a good old boys club. In the main stream of beekeeping folks, particular groups form together at the exclusion of anyone they don’t want in their treehouse. I continue to be equally disappointed in how this continues to hurt the beekeeping community. I hope you do well with your nucs. Do you have any questions I can help answer?

  • @Whitesmokehoney
    @Whitesmokehoney Před 5 měsíci

    David, are you in the path of the solar eclipse? If so, what is that like for your bees?

  • @brendajenkins5264
    @brendajenkins5264 Před 5 měsíci

    Wish I knew how to send a video

  • @WildwoodsBeekeeping
    @WildwoodsBeekeeping Před 5 měsíci +1

    First! Looking forward to watching the video David! Looking forward to talking with you Monday :) I’ll pick your mind On some stuff, lol. I hope you have a great weekend David and a great season 👍😁
    Have a great day 🤙🐝

  • @scottreese5492
    @scottreese5492 Před 5 měsíci

    One thing don't do....DO NOT TRY CHECKERBOARDING WITH FOUNDATIONS, one popular utuber said it works, and it don't, they will build out comb frame extra wide into FOUNDATION frame and you can't get them out.

    • @beek
      @beek  Před 5 měsíci

      Excellent point