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Author Topic: Easy way to split hive or add caged queen without finding old queen  (Read 5955 times)

Offline gregted

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Reading through my bee book on splitting hives and introducing queens and noticed section on Demaree boards.

The Demaree is a flat piece of ply or similar material the same size as a hive bottom board with a 10 mm border around the top edge leaving a small space for a bee escape.

Replace 2 or 3 frames of brood from brood chamber of strong hive with empty foundation shaking bees back into hive to ensure queen is not on frames and replace queen excluder. Place empty super on top and add the brood frames to top super.

Leave until next day allowing nurse bees to go back onto brood frames in top super.

Lift top super and place Demaree board between top super with opening facing opposite to bottom box and queen excluder.

Next day add caged queen or queen cell.

Check after one week to see if queen is laying in top box.

Sounds like an easy way to add new caged queen without having to find old queen first.


« Last Edit: October 02, 2011, 08:05:25 pm by gregted »

Offline gregted

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Re: Demaree board questions
« Reply #1 on: October 02, 2011, 08:02:57 pm »
Also thought this might be easy way to split 1 box into 3. Without worrying about mixing up old queen with new mated queen or queen cell.

Modify empty super with saw cut in middle to take divider board horizontally in center turning this super into 2 nucs.

Make up Demaree bottom board with 2 escapes in opposite sides at one end for alternate openings.

Take 6 brood frames from center of healthy brood box. Shake off all bees from frames back into original brood box and place 3 either side of divider in spare super.

This ensures all bees, including queen are not on frames taken.

Replace frames from bottom box with foundation or drawn comb and place queen excluder on top. Queen is now guaranteed to be in bottom box.

Place super with 6 combs clear of bees on top of queen excluder.

Return next day when nurse bees have returned through excluder to top frames and place demaree board between excluder and top box. Make sure openings in top box are at other end to original opening. This turns 1 hive into 3.

Return next day, when top boxes have been queen less for a day and add caged queens or queen cell and leave.

Return in 1 week to see if caged queen is laying and queen cell is opened and queen is in hive.

Leave for 4 or 5 weeks to let these new nucs build up numbers and place in other yard as new hives.

Definitely going to try this when I get some more hives or swarms this year..

Offline Jim134

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Re: Easy way to split hive or add caged queen without finding old queen
« Reply #2 on: October 02, 2011, 09:37:22 pm »
You can find more about Demaree at 

http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman/demaree.html


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Offline westmar

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Re: Easy way to split hive or add caged queen without finding old queen
« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2011, 10:13:33 pm »
hi
   i us system very similar its called cloak method it was developed by harry cloak of new zealand.i us it for raising a few queens.i also used the demaree method to introduce new queens,never had a problem with it.

Offline gregted

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Re: Easy way to split hive or add caged queen without finding old queen
« Reply #4 on: October 03, 2011, 04:06:52 am »
Thanks Westmar. I had heard of the cloak board method and that is another system I will try soon.

Do you have any alterations to the original method from experience.

Have you had any problems with the bees propolising up the slide in your cloak board.

Offline westmar

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Re: Easy way to split hive or add caged queen without finding old queen
« Reply #5 on: October 03, 2011, 08:50:05 am »
HI never had a problem with it.main thing the the old queen down below.and that they don't start any queen cells in first day or so .never Had much of a problem with propolising ,i run Italian bees get very little propoles.

Offline gregted

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Re: Easy way to split hive or add caged queen without finding old queen
« Reply #6 on: October 03, 2011, 05:45:29 pm »
Sounds like something to try soon. I'm on the swarm list here in Toowoomba so may have some to try this with next year.

Just checked my split from last Friday and can't believe the difference in the temperament in my nuc with my introduced Italian queen.

The remaining hive left over from the split is still fairly aggressive ( one was attacking my veil as soon as I got out of the car about 10 metres from the hive. Glad I put the gear on in the car. )

But the nuc with the introduced queen, has taken on her quiet nature, and she is not out of the cage yet.

When we got her in the mail, we thought she was dead. No sound from the package at all. But she was just so quiet. she and her attendants were just milling around in the cage like ants.

If she holds this docile nature, she will be my breeding queen for sure.

One question i have about the breeding from our own queens is, how do they not get inbred after some years. Is it that the virgin queens may mate with other drones from other colonies within flying range?

I'm just thinking, if i start with one queen and breed from her only in my yard, all generations must be her offspring. So her daughters will be mating with her descendant males.

Just a thought....