A brood box full of honey

[Bevbee]

On Thursday I combined two hives (previously split : one hive queen less and the other with a new queen laying well)

All is well but it is quite a tower of boxes, a brood box deep at the bottom with QE then two shallows and a deep on top .

I need to use the deep as a brood box for a swarm but it had about 8 frames full of honey when I combined . What do I do ? How can I reclaim my deep without wasting too much ?

 

[YorkshireBees]

Extract the honey to reuse the frames or store it for use as winter feed.

 

[bjosephd]

I haven't done it yet, but I understand that spare frames of honey/stores are great for making up nucs or nuc-sized apideas.

Or of course as Mr YorkshireBees has said... it's the healthiest food you can refeed/restock your bees for winter stores.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Or
Spin and eat

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

You need to buy another box, and Demaree your existing arrangement (you're already there; just need to shuffle frames). Believe me, in what sounds like a strong colony, the extra yield will pay for the woodwork. You're crazy short of gear, then, so buy two.

ADD. If that's really out of the question, you could thrown the swarm on the full frames and give them some supers to move it into. I am interpreting "honey" to mean "nectar" but even if it is capped, and you score/spray it, it solves your problem. The disadvantage is that by not making the swarm draw its own comb, you have to worry about they honey they are carrying. A few days in a cardboard box on the site would sort that problem, though.

 

[beeno]

Hi Bevbee,
Had same problem a couple of weeks ago where top box double brood full of honey, and not much room in bottom brood box. In an attempt to give more room for brood as I was worried about them starting swarm preparations I reluctantly put the empty super in between the brood boxes. Well, the bees had a different plan, a perfect plan, they put all the honey into the super i.e. they moved the honey down. I have now put the super back on top with QX underneath awaiting it to be capped whilst the bees have laid up the top brood box. Next beekeeper move is to reverse the brood boxes! Could it have been a fluke?

 

[Zante]

The disadvantage is that by not making the swarm draw its own comb, you have to worry about they honey they are carrying.

Why is that a disadvantage?
Wouldn't they fill the comb with it? Is that bad?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The honey they bring with them may carry disease spores. If they use that honey to make wax.the spores get locked in to the wax and is harmless. If it's stored as honey it could spread disease

 

[Zante]

The honey they bring with them may carry disease spores. If they use that honey to make wax.the spores get locked in to the wax and is harmless. If it's stored as honey it could spread disease

Makes sense, but if it's disease they are carrying with them in the honey, wouldn't the bees themselves be diseased too?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Makes sense, but if it's disease they are carrying with them in the honey, wouldn't the bees themselves be diseased too?

Not neccessarily. EFB can spread on the mandibles of nurse bees clearing out diseased brood then feeding the rest - a vicious circle, it will be in the honey, so using it to make wax, then a brief broodless period can sort this out.

 

[Zante]

Not neccessarily. EFB can spread on the mandibles of nurse bees clearing out diseased brood then feeding the rest - a vicious circle, it will be in the honey, so using it to make wax, then a brief broodless period can sort this out.

I see. Thank you for the explanation.

 

[Millet]

Or
Spin and eat

I pulled one of mine to bits yesterday too look for the new Queen but did not find her or eggs, what I did notice was a lot of stores in the brood box, I was thinking if I extract it to eat it may well contain some of the syrup that was fed too them at the end of last season, could that be a possibility.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Maybe
Last season's syrup cappings will be quite dull looking whereas stuff capped recently is pale and new looking.
If it's a mixture then it will be oK to eat yourself.
If it's got thymol in it then feed it back to the bees for winter.