From: Barry Birkey <barry@birkey.com>
Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2001 07:50:42 -0500
To: <BiologicalBeekeeping@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Re: Shake Down Methods

Hello Scott -

> 1. Timing - At what point in the season is the best time to shake down.

Speaking only from my experience last year, I would suggest as soon as the
bees are growing in numbers in the Spring and when there will be enough
pollen to support brood rearing. Doing shakedowns will obviously induce
stress on the bees so try to keep any other stresses out of the equation. I
started around the first of May with a swarm. Here, this is the usual time
when beekeepers are receiving queens and packages.

> 2. Brood - What do you do with the brood in the "old" combs.

I waited for one or two full brood cycles to take place and then did the
second shakedown. I simply took the old combs of 5.2mm and froze them so I
could reuse them in another first step shakedown. If you are taking bees
from an existing hive and you have several other hives, put the frames in
with those. Although if you're not careful with the timing of this, you
could actually be giving the other hives brood with hefty levels of mites in
it.

> 3. Strength - Does shaking down affect the ability of the bees to build up
> enough strength for the winter.

Not sure on this. I was able to get 3/4 of a single deep brood box worth of
comb on the first shakedown before doing the second. On the second round
using full sheets of foundation, the bees had drawn two deep supers of comb
and had the top super filled completely with capped honey by late Fall. In
fact, one of the hives had almost worked up 3 deep supers. Neither of these
hives made it through the Winter but then again neither did 5 of my other 7
hives on 5.4mm cell size. They all appeared to have died from the same cause
as the symptoms were the same. Starvation due to an extended cold spell
appeared to be the cause.

> 4. Stores - What is done with the stores the bees have put in the "old"
> combs?

Same as number 2 depending on how you are starting.

> 5. Product - Should you expect to receive any honey from the bees during the
> shakedown season?

I wouldn't think so for most unless you live in an area that has a nectar
source year around.

> Do you take the old combs away and let them start from ground zero? Or is it
> a gradual process of weaning them off of the old combs while providing new
> foundation?

Cold turkey! You have to give them a total break from the old size comb.
I've not heard of a way to do it gradually. Expect well over a 50 percent
loss in bees the first year. Having only regressed two colonies last year,
the odds were not in my favor of having one survive the winter. What I do
have now is pretty good drawn 4.9 comb that I can use to work my remaining
two colonies on to. I should be able to split them this Spring and have more
4.9 hives going into the winter.

Regards,
Barry