# Checker boarding



## drlonzo (Apr 15, 2014)

You state that you have had 2 years of swarming each year. I would suggest putting the supers on earlier than you have at this point. We get swarms for a few reasons. Reproductive, Crowded, and No room for the queen to lay which is honeybound. 

One of the more common ways to keep them from swarming is to put supers on and open up more space for them to backfill. This also keeps down the problems of being crowded, and room for the queen to lay. 

Some swarm instincts are hard to keep at bay. Walt's method is a secondary method that assumes you have put the supers on at the correct time. 

I think if I were in your shoes, I'd look back and figure out when those swarms happened in the spring, then put those supers on about a month or so prior to then and see if that helps.


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## tacomabees (May 2, 2013)

Bugman610 said:


> Read Walt Wright's paper on checker boarding. After 2 years of having swarms in the spring, I will try it next year. I live in central Alabama and wonder if anyone can tell me when to checkerboard my hives?


Have another read of his paper and recommendations...there is some direction on when to open the brood nest, honey dome and checkerboarding based on working backward from some key early bloom dates...adding more space is important, but pay attention, especially if it is a strong hive coming out of the late winter, early spring. They may end up delaying the swarm impulse and still do it.


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## JoeM (Dec 31, 2012)

Last year I finally had enough drawn comb to try Walt's idea. It works! You do it before the red maples bloom, for me, early February. Walt has indicated you can do it any time after fall begins but I like to wait so they don't start up thru the supers until as late as possible. Walt is also correct that they will often do a supercedure in late April if checkerboarded. So if you are checking for queen cells during April and find some don't automatically think swarm because it is probably supercedure. Also, I put foundationless frames to the sides of the supers so they would have easy drone raising options. Did this on 5 hives and only one swarmed and I still got 10 gallons of honey from it and hived a huge swarm. Also took a couple of splits from supercedure cells.


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## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

Anyone have a link to this paper?


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## Bugman610 (Aug 6, 2014)

Thanks y'all for the help.


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## JoeM (Dec 31, 2012)

Link to Walt Wright
http://www.k4vb.com/Walt's BIO reduced.htm

Then follow the links within this one


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## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

Appreciate the link, thanks


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## minz (Jan 15, 2011)

Timing is based on the apple bloom. I have tried it for two years being in the same situation as Walt. First year they still swarmed but 2 weeks after the other hive. Second year the hive never filled a super. Your results may vary, I would suggest still checking them every 10 days rather than just hoping that they do not swarm.


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

I have used Walts methods for two years. I have not yet figured out what to use as a indication of the RSCOD (Reproductive swarm cut off date). But I do see clear indications that such a thing does exist.

Due to no idea of that cut off date I have no way of reliably doing the math backwards. I do believe our swarming period ends around he 2nd week of June. For two years in a row my bees have started building up in February. Very early for us. suspect tin a normal year build up will begin in March at the latest. I rely more on current conditions of the hive to determine when to checkerboard rather than a calculation based upon future as yet unknown events. Swarming seems to begin in early May and run into mid June. that is a pretty big window of time for trying to calculate just what day was a cut off date. I am not saying such a day does not exist. I am saying figuring out when it is so far has not worked for me.

On another note, waiting until you see a swarm cell does not work either. One thing I have started to notice is an earlier bad sign, maybe, is bees lounging around in the upper supers of a hive. as a hive population builds there simply seems to me to be more and more bees with nothing to do. In my way of gettign things to make since I simply see these bees as bored. they get together and start causing trouble.

So far I have not found my attempts at Walts methods to do all that much in the way of preventing swarms. In the first year the only hive I managed with that method cast the largest swarm I have seen to date. Last year we attempted it with 12 hives. at the first indication of swarming we abandoned all attempt with the method fro all hives. split queens from the workers and had a near 100% swarm prevention rate.

I will say the checkerboarding method motivates a hive and builds huge populations. a queen moving up through 3 or even 4 supers produces a lot of brood. I had every on of our hives but one built up to a minimum of three boxes packed full of bees last spring. That one hive had a older failing queen in it that I was keeping to graft new queens from.

I am now working toward some sort of hodge podge of methods that here would be describes as side expansion/checkerboarding with a split thrown in. I use side expansion in the case of building up a nuc. I pretty much discovered it on my own before finding a few discussion here about it. That lead someone leading me to Walt and his ideas. 

I got a copy of Walts book and spent some time really going over it. double checking figures laying out some time lines. taking my own notes concerning his claims and explanations. I find some things I do not agree with due to my own observations. In other cases what he says seem to be almost completely backwards.

One thing I did not like about the book is it's repetition in defending the method as a whole. it seemed as if at every point Walt returned to making a complete argument. I suspect that is nothing more than the result of having gotten a lot of arguments from others about it. 

I love checkerboard for it's brood production and comb drawing benefits. But so far it has not resulted in a reliable swarm prevention. I know the difference is staggering. Last May my daughter and I attended our first beekeeping association meeting. they where describing how to expand bees p into a double deep population. My daughter looked at me leaned over and whispered, They are kidding right? We had an entire yard full of hives 4 supers tall packed full of bees. Many of them having built up from nucs.

I do not know exactly what to make of the entire back filling information. every one of these hives where on the edge of swarming while the brood nest was still well up in the second super and had plenty of room to fill. Hardly what I woudl describe as back filling. but then our area did not produce a lot of nectar this year either. Maybe they simply did not have what ti took to get the hive back filled. They never got the hives filled with honey either. So maybe they where doing more of an absconding or swarming due to other factors. I do know that upon removal of their queens these hives produced on average 19 queen cells each. All cells where removed and only one hive in our entire yard cast a swarm.


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## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

Daniel - Well if it caused them to build that well, that seems to be worth trying.


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## jbraun (Nov 13, 2013)

Bugman, I just went through what Walt wrote in his papers today. He talked about adding supers just before redbud bloom. Then checkerboarding every other frame in the top deep with drawn comb. That way they have room for nectar without backfilling the brood nest. If they don't start working on that area then open up the honey band with drawn comb. You do know that you can get that info by going through the Point Of View section and scrolling down to Walt's name.

Daniel Y, Do you have redbuds at your altitude? I lived in the Sacramento valley and we did. That's what I'm using as a reference point. I think that's what you talked about on RSCOD, right? Or are you looking for the last possible swarm. Not sure what RSCOD means yet but I'll look it up.


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

RSCOD, Reproductive Swarm Cut Off Date. My acronym. Walt says he looks for apple bloom and calculates that date from then. If bees have not started prep for swarming by that date the will abort swarm attempts.


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## jbraun (Nov 13, 2013)

Daniel Y, RSCOD isn't the end date for swarming as you suggested in the second paragraph of your first post. I see why you had a hard time pinpointing it for the past 2 years.

I got some help from Michael Bushs site. Bush Bees - Swarm Control. He talks about the brood nest expansion/contraction. This is Michael's take on Walts work. Michael gives multiple tree bloom dates to help you determine that date. Since I have early, mid and late apples I'm going to use redbud bloom as my indicator. He also suggests that you track the brood nest size. When the hive goes from expansion to contraction, you have 3 weeks to open up the brood nest to fool the colony into believing they don't have the strength to swarm. Isn't this the RSCOD that Walt talks about? By the way, I seem to recall that Walt states that if you move the colony past the RSCOD, they will supercede the old queen. Excuse my ignorance but how's that different from a swarm?

Regardless, the tracking info that Michael suggests may give me help in keeping my hives from swarming this coming year. I want to keep much better tracking info to help me from repeating my past failures. I see why people on this forum have a hard time with 2nd and 3rd year beekeepers. Some of what I've written in the past has been from things that I've only read about and not experienced in person. 

Bugman, this is info that I tried to get early this spring or last winter. Walt said that redbud bloom was mid march for his area. Are you a week or so earlier than him?


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## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

We see swarms from April into October. So what is the RSCOD here.... LOL.

And I have no clue when apples would bloom on the coast. Is there another tree, peach, mayhaw, citrus, or something that might bloom at a parallel time to apples.

I am still very interested in this method for building up comb since I have none for the spring. Being a beginning and trying to build is tough.


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## jbraun (Nov 13, 2013)

Marshmasterpat, go to Michael Bushs site. Bush Bees - Swarm Control. On that page he lists various tree blooms that you can use for a reference point. Redbuds an easy one for me as I have one in my yard. It will probably bloom this year for me but there are plenty around me. Sorry I don't know how to post links to get you there directly.


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

First I would gently suggest taking care in forming an opinion of an entire book on random comments. those comments hardly cover everything in the book.

As an example. Reproductive swarm means just that. Swarming for the purpose of reproduction. There are other reasons bees swarm. such as over crowding. Poor location. 

As for swarming vs. supercedure. One difference I see is that not half the bee population is lost. There is lost population due to the break in brood production. I seem to be heading toward removing the queen and letting the colony think they swarmed. not sure it works all that well though. it seems to demoralize the bees. I do agree that swarming is swarming regardless of the bees intent in doing so.

I have found this methods accomplishes a lot more than just swarm prevention. Certainly since I don't find it prevents swarming for me at all. But it sure will get a hive to build up. I have had my concerns about the overall effect of such pressure on a colony though. Sort of a every positive has a negative sort of thing.

Observing the brood nest works very well for me. I notice the contraction more often than not and was already beginning to see the connection. I realized it was one sign of swarm preparation. I had not yet figured out just where it fit in the whole timing thing. Three weeks once I see the nest contract. I will give that a shot. I have been doing exactly the wrong thing then. I tend to leave everything alone when I see that contraction. Seems what I may need to be doing is going back to the bottom of the hive and basically starting it all over again.

I will say it is a hard thing to do when you don't have equipment. I would suggest adding frames to be drawn then removing them during that build up period and saving them later for nest expansion. Hope that makes since. Basically it is taking advantage of the bees tendency to draw comb during this time. then using those very fraems later before the bees start filling it all up with honey.


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## jbraun (Nov 13, 2013)

Daniel Y, You're right, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. I don't have Walts book and I've only read what info was available on the Point of View section under Walt Wright. Walts book is on my christmas list along with Brother Adams book.

Sorry if I come off as defensive, I'm just trying to get a handle on this concept. This year I had all of my hives backfill the broodnest and swarm. I'm going to try Walts method to see if I can prevent that next year.

Here's my source. Point of View - Walt Wright - A different twist on swarm prevention Part II. The paragraph is close to the graph.

"In our area redbud blooms in the second half of March. Redbud is a generous nectar source and is plentiful. There is no doubt in our mind that the swarm commit trigger is here. Funny thing about coincidences: they happen together."

Then He goes on to give a 3 prong approach to swarm prevention. A. Having 2 supers in place by mid-March. B. Checkerboarding the honey super above the broodnest. C Checkerboarding the broodnest if not effective. There are lots of people here that have way more experience than I do. I'm not above stealing ideas from successful people.

Thanks for the tip on comb building.


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## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

Would this check boarding work if you are going foundationless, or even if you just have foundation filled frame with no comb?

Just curious. Trying to plan for my spring plans.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Would this check boarding work if you are going foundationless, or even if you just have foundation filled frame with no comb?

The system is to use drawn empty comb to checkerboard with capped honey. Anything else will have somewhat different results...


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

jbraun, Nothing defensive about how you come across. my warning was just that. a warning. Walt has a lot of details in his book and apparently many of them are important. Such as the comment above about the difference in drawn comb or not.

My impression is that in order to get Walts method to work well you may need Walt by your side to manage those details. Otherwise I have figured out what I have figured out and am struggling with the rest.


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## Swarm_King (Mar 13, 2014)

Hi! I am a NJ Beekeeper who used to swarm off all his hives until I used Walter Wright's technique known as checker boarding. Not that swarms do not have their place. It is just that all my great honey producers flew off at the wrong time previous to this. So, posting a bloom date is an essential basic record for people. I can't begin to relate how simply right Walt is about this method. To carry this further I would begin be telling you another couple of ideas, which could be elevated to essential, basic information. That would be swarm dates according to your area, and the idea that bloom dates have been shown to be related to grow degree days in any given area. It is up to the beekeeper to make this concept a location specific for optimum use as part of hive management regimen to facilitate swarm prevention. Location specific means somehow record those highs and lows for the day and then get thee a notebook and start recording grow degree days. Walt and likewise several NJ Beekeepers say watch for a certain type plant to bloom. Well I watched my red bud maples and sure enough I did my procedures last year in concert with my grow degree days and swarm dates from the previous dates and then did my checker boarding as best I could with no honey or very little. Walt related to me that I would certainly benefit from a third brood box of honey. Never mind honey supers, I put 1 medium on with drawn honey comb. Fact: Honey bees know the difference between brood comb wax and honey comb wax. I was very happy to see that none of my hives violated the honey storage area (honey done). I owe Walt a complete report of my adventure with checker boarding. The adventure includes bloom dates, swarm dates, available brood box volume, number of hive with a pure checker board procedure, and number with a modified checker board procedure, number using a Mike Palmer brood nest expansion technique, a Mike Palmer split, and those that were split the old fashion way. 

I would like to ask if people could help me test my Grow Degree Day hypothesis because it simplifies the task of fudging swarm date shift. But it looks like good material already exits. The swarm shift shifts with the honey flow/bloom date shift. It is very important that people get their highs and low temperature and then calculate grow degree days. Please check the truthfulness of the calculation by verification specific to your location. Look up the grow degree days that are consistent with the bloom date. Measure them for your specific location.

There are lots of variables involved though. The bees are really good at knowing what they need for a living space. If they think they are going to out-grow their hotel, well you know the story-they'll check out and fly away. I guess you can surmise what I am about here. This bloom date repository is a wonderful thing. We can use it as an essential tool. I would like to test my hypothesis about checker boarding and state that I believe it is timed to honey flow. We know it is a population dynamic thing, so all sorts of things like cluster size, hive home quality, and so on influence. But, Checker boarding is as Walt says a very simple thing. As we break down what Walt says and apply the light bulb goes on. A door opens to shine light on a sustainable beekeeping-swarm prevention technique, and a triple delightful boat load of more honey than ever. I had 13 hives that produced 838 packaged pounds of honey, and also new wax for about 14 full sized brood boxes and totally filled them up with honey. I would cycle out old wax in them boxes that had old black wax and allow the bees new pearly white wax. My results are great. Now to explain the story. I will check your links above and see if the variables are the same.

Do not forget that checkerboarding uses the brood comb. This is a brood volume variable. Use your Honey supers for nectar repositories. First they go to brood nest with the nectar. Then the excess goes upstairs. Finally the young hang out up there. If you do this process correctly it will work. I am zeroing in on nectar volume encroachment as the swarm trigger. Walt's been there already. Checkerboarding works with some fresh foundation with no wax. The new bees will fill it out in their spare time. 

Posting bloom dates-means develop your records. I used 30 days before my swarm date converted to grow degree days as my checkerboarding/honey super date. I use 3 brood boxes. I raise hives that averaged 4 medium supers of honey plus a brood box. This means much more honey this year. Loos a swarm you lost hundreds of pounds of honey and lots of new wax.


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## minz (Jan 15, 2011)

Swarm king here is the site to determine bug hatch by degree days:
http://pnwpest.org/
Go to quick start, this has been around a while to determine what times the bugs hatch and attack the fruit. I was trying to take the calculator backwards by using my logs to determine how many of each of the degree days and temp cycles would cause swarming. I am not smart enough to figure it out. I figure if somebody 10 states away can tell me when an apple maggot is going to lay an egg in my apple tree the same model can be used to determine swarming.
http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?292481-Signs-of-swarm-preparation/page4


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## Swarm_King (Mar 13, 2014)

minz said:


> Swarm king here is the site to determine bug hatch by degree days:
> http://pnwpest.org/
> Go to quick start, this has been around a while to determine what times the bugs hatch and attack the fruit. I was trying to take the calculator backwards by using my logs to determine how many of each of the degree days and temp cycles would cause swarming. I am not smart enough to figure it out. I figure if somebody 10 states away can tell me when an apple maggot is going to lay an egg in my apple tree the same model can be used to determine swarming.
> http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?292481-Signs-of-swarm-preparation/page4


So far the idea is in the good idea phase, that needs more trials. The Biological Control People are after the apple maggots, so they know already. Mine was a educated guess fudged by grow degrees and also my swarm date (earliest). That event will never change. So-I will tell you about later. I have to compose this out so you can use it.

Regards/
Swarm-King


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## minz (Jan 15, 2011)

Let me know, we hit record high temps this last weekend (60 degrees F) Weatherman are saying we are a full month ahead on weather and snow resorts were at 50 degrees on the top of the mountain. If we could correlate the GDD like they do with all of the fruit pests at a minimum it would keep us from getting surprised (like going off of a traditional apple bloom date has for me in the past).


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## Lburou (May 13, 2012)

jbraun said:


> Marshmasterpat, go to Michael Bushs site. Bush Bees - Swarm Control.


Here is the link you referred to. I found Walt's book difficult to follow. Read the POV & the Bush site, and you will have the kernel points of checkerboarding on a platter. HTH 


Michael Bush @ bushfarms.com said:


> If you look at your bees and your blooms and your climate, this Reproductive cut-off is usually the peak of the apple blossoms or a week after the apples START to bloom. The time to do Checkboarding is 9 weeks before that. That's about when the Elm blooms or four weeks before the Maples bloom or five weeks before the Redbud blooms or eight weeks before the apples start blooming or ten weeks before the black locust starts blooming. Hopefully you have some idea when one of those blooms in your location. NOTE: in theory these are all ways of pinpointing the same stage of vegetative development, they are just different reference points to figure it out for your location, I'm just listing all the different blooms in case you know when one of them is to calculate from.
> At that time (9 weeks before Reproductive cut-off/the peak of the apple blossoms) you checkerboard. You put alternating frames of capped honey and empty drawn comb above the brood nest.


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## BjornH (Nov 8, 2013)

I have checkerboarded, but i can have 5F and 10 inches of snow when its correct timing. Usually, qe and 2-3 mediums goes on within 2 weeks from major cleancing. Willow in excess goes in the supers. Mama keeps her open cells for egglaying. Same result here. Big hive, supercedure june-july. No swarms, but, i do have well bred Swedish Buckfast so genetics do "interfere" in my results. ( Sweden, Europe, today 32F, 6 inches of snow)


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## BadBeeKeeper (Jan 24, 2015)

Swarm_King said:


> Fact: *Honey bees know the difference between brood comb wax and honey comb wax.* I was very happy to see that none of my hives violated the honey storage area...


Some of my bees must have taken the short bus to school and failed to learn this...I'll have to send them for some remedial education.


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## minz (Jan 15, 2011)

My queens never seem to mind 'chimney' up the shallow supers. They seem to like to to ttry to get elevetion And keep it. I think this is contrary to Walts findings, perhaps mine are part feline? Insted of the short bus they take the 'short box'.


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