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Most of my hives are big enough, but those which are for example 4 boxes, those I join.
That is swarming time too, and I may have one box of larvae, of I have 3 boxhive which has capped brood. that is result from swarm stopping.
I cannot join hives before yield because the giant get easily swarming fever.
When the field is blooming, i move hives and just pile them to proper size. No paper or odor treatment. When hive has work to do, it is not earger to swarm.
I have Italian bees.
When I join for main yield, hive must be in balance: brood, nurser bees, foragers. It is continuously moving chain because bees are short living and all type of bees are needed.
But big amount of larvae is not good thing in main yield. Our season is very short, only one month.
Home bees are as important as foragers. They handle incoming nectar.
If hive swarms, it must be joined again . Young bees do not forage and in swarm hive half of bees act as homebees. many say that "all forage honey" but who handle the nectar and draw combs?
Many beekeepers keep the swarmed hive pieces apart, but so they loose the yield.
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