How to : The Demaree method
I first wrote about the Demaree method almost 7 years ago. It has turned out to be embarrassingly popular, and has been the most read of ~700 posts on The Apiarist for the last couple of years.
Why embarrassingly? Surely all that advertising revenue is welcome? {{1}}
It is embarrassing for two reasons; the first was I'd tagged it as a swarm control method, and the second was that I'd described a slight variant of the method, different from that originally described by George Demaree.
Was it really the Demaree method?
In addition, I'd skirted around a couple of problems with the method which I really should have elaborated upon.
In fairness, Demaree also ignored these in his description of the method.
I was in good company 😜.
Anyway, these are reasons enough to revisit the topic and describe the original Demaree method, a couple of variants, how I've used it, and its benefits and drawbacks.
What is the Demaree method?
The Demaree is a swarm prevention method first described by George Demaree in 1892.
The two defining features of the Demaree method are:
- Separation of the queen and flying bees from the nurse bees and brood.
- Maintenance of the hive as a single honey collecting entity, achieved by using a queen excluder for the 'separation'.
What's not to like?
No swarming, and maximising the honey crop.
Clearly, going by the popularity of the 2019 post {{2}}, this is what everyone wants. However, achieving it isn't without a bit of effort on the part of the beekeeper.
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You need to get the timing right, start with a strong colony, and have both good weather and forage.
If you simply follow points 1 and 2 above, your colony will probably swarm, and you may end up with a queenless colony for your efforts (or lack of them).
However, if you're willing to put the work in, the Demaree method is a very useful addition to the range of techniques you can use to productively manage your bees.