SWARM control is the most vital management technique in beekeeping. If you allow your colonies to swarm the likelihood is that you will get no surplus honey in the current year and the public could become alarmed if they see a swarm. Swarming is a natural occurrence. Not every colony will attempt to swarm every year, but we have no way of predicting which ones will. You should have devised a swarm control plan in good time. It is hopeless having to read the books at the first sign of queen cells. There are many methods by which beekeepers attempt to control swarming, but the most popular one is the 'artificial swarm'. In this article I propose to outline the method which I have been using for many years and discuss some possible alterations to thattechnique. The method which I shall describe is a variation of that which can be found in a number of text books. There is a well known saying in beekeeping that 'every season is different from the previous one'. In1* other words we should have a swarm control method planned prior to finding queen cells but we must be prepared to vary it according to the season and the reaction of the bees.
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