[Parke County Queen]

I have another hive getting ready to swarm. Capped cells and the queen has stopped laying. Is there any way to cut back on some of the swarms? I'm wondering if I cut out most of the queen cells and just leave a few if there will be fewer afterswarms, or should I just let them swarm? Also, there is a super of uncapped honey. Should I take it off and put it on another hive? I tried recently to do an artificial swarm, but it was so hot, I didn't look for the current queen. Just divided the hive into 3. They swarmed anyway. Now I have to deal with the three small hives. That's another question. Should I put them all back together and let the best queen win, or what? I know it's good to have healthy hives, but this swarming business is frustrating.

 

[beedeetee]

The first swarm is usually the biggest and the one that I don't like losing so I swarm for them. Yes, you need to find the queen, but take the frame that she is on and three frames of bees and capped brood and put them in a nuc. Shake a few more frames of bees in with them. The foragers will go home. This is easier than getting them out of a 30 foot tree.

Sometimes that will shock them into not swarming again, but not always. You can always combine them back later in the season if you don't want more hives.