A excess of brood?

[Rowena]

Just been out to check one of my apiaries and found that one of my hives has wall to wall brood, little or no stores, I have taken some summer honey off but only a few frames, I was quite shocked as I expected some brood for the winter bees but not this amount. Is this usual?

I am just in the process of treating with api with a view to feeding in a couple of weeks but my concern is that there is little room in the brood box for any stores, I have moved my super box up above the crown board and have given them some frames to clean up plus some broken up frames with solid OSR.

Should I give some of the brood away to another hive which could do with it and give them some space for stores?

 

[Murox]

Just been out to check one of my apiaries and found that one of my hives has wall to wall brood, little or no stores, I have taken some summer honey off but only a few frames, I was quite shocked as I expected some brood for the winter bees but not this amount. Is this usual?

I am just in the process of treating with api with a view to feeding in a couple of weeks but my concern is that there is little room in the brood box for any stores, I have moved my super box up above the crown board and have given them some frames to clean up plus some broken up frames with solid OSR.
Should I give some of the brood away to another hive which could do with it and give them some space for stores?

Thats one way of dealing with it especially if you have a weaker hive that could do with a bee boost in readiness for wintertime.

 

[Hachi]

Better still replace the moved frames with stores of food if you have it? I'd think about feeding too.

 

[Speybee]

Better still replace the moved frames with stores of food if you have it? I'd think about feeding too.

My instinct would be to roll out a 2.5kg slab of Ambrosia across the entire area of the brood nest covering the 11 frames, then parchment paper or a cardboard template,CB, EKE, Hive roof.

 

[Rowena]

Thanks for the various options think I will go with a mix of all and remove some brood, find some replacement frames with stores and feed, feed, feed!

 

[bobthecob]

I would leave them all their brood (unless you have another colony that is desperate for a population boost). They know what they are doing. But feed them, of course. Personally I would just whack a large slab of fondant on top (and did just this with a hive that was wall-to-wall brood a month or so ago).

 

[Rowena]

I would leave them all their brood (unless you have another colony that is desperate for a population boost). They know what they are doing. But feed them, of course. Personally I would just whack a large slab of fondant on top (and did just this with a hive that was wall-to-wall brood a month or so ago).

My main concern about all the brood was the sheer number of bees that would be produced for just a single national brood box and how overcrowded it may end up. If we get a late burst of warm weather, which I believe is being predicted, I was worried about swarming. I know it’s late in the season but I had swarms very early in the year, despite all my efforts to prevent, due to the weather.

 

[user 819]

One of my prolific colonies swarmed early May, the clipped Q and swarm re-housed. In to June forage remained good and they built up steadily again producing 9 solid frames of brood and 2 pollen with some stores. I find it simply best to add a super and feed if need be when forage tails off , fondant little and often over a cb feed hole and eke in 1ltr ice cream tub works for me, no need for top bar feeding when it is so mild. Fondant is being converted and stored as wet stores mixed with probably other forage incoming.

 

[bobthecob]

My main concern about all the brood was the sheer number of bees that would be produced for just a single national brood box and how overcrowded it may end up. If we get a late burst of warm weather, which I believe is being predicted, I was worried about swarming. I know it’s late in the season but I had swarms very early in the year, despite all my efforts to prevent, due to the weather.

Fair enough. I wouldn't be too worried about a swarm in September, but I have been wrong before and obviously autumn swarming is a thing. By the way, is it possible that you have had a supercedure? That way you could have two queens in the hive, which could explain the prolific laying.

 

[Patrick1]

My instinct would be to roll out a 2.5kg slab of Ambrosia across the entire area of the brood nest covering the 11 frames, then parchment paper or a cardboard template,CB, EKE, Hive roof.

I think it's too early for fondant, they need a syrup, easier to us.just end up feeding ants.

 

[bobthecob]

I think it's too early for fondant, they need a syrup, easier to us.just end up feeding ants.

My bees are sucking it down with gusto. Certainly don't think they are finding it difficult to use, and no ants in sight. Either option is fine at this time of year, imho.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Just been out to check one of my apiaries and found that one of my hives has wall to wall brood, little or no stores, I have taken some summer honey off but only a few frames, I was quite shocked as I expected some brood for the winter bees but not this amount. Is this usual?

I am just in the process of treating with api with a view to feeding in a couple of weeks but my concern is that there is little room in the brood box for any stores, I have moved my super box up above the crown board and have given them some frames to clean up plus some broken up frames with solid OSR.

Should I give some of the brood away to another hive which could do with it and give them some space for stores?

what size brood box are you on, could just be that your race of bee needs bigger 14x12 boxes or brood & half Are they local bees or did you buy them from a national supplier

 

[Finman]

Just been out to check one of my apiaries and found that one of my hives has wall to wall brood, little or no stores, I have taken some summer honey off but only a few frames, I was quite shocked as I expected some brood for the winter bees but not this amount. Is this usual?

I am just in the process of treating with api with a view to feeding in a couple of weeks but my concern is that there is little room in the brood box for any stores, I have moved my super box up above the crown board and have given them some frames to clean up plus some broken up frames with solid OSR.

Should I give some of the brood away to another hive which could do with it and give them some space for stores?

Give another brood box over recent. Then start to feed winter Food. The colony has space to store sugar syrup into combs. Give one half of winter food now, and then the rest later.

10 frames brood is not too big wintering colony.

 

[AubMar]

Fair enough. I wouldn't be too worried about a swarm in September, but I have been wrong before and obviously autumn swarming is a thing. By the way, is it possible that you have had a supercedure? That way you could have two queens in the hive, which could explain the prolific laying.

2020 seems a different year - I had this swarm yesterday, and unfortunately they clustered on the top of the evergreens and out of reach, so I placed a few bait hives around the area, and just hope! I had given them a couple of litres of syrup the evening before and they certainly weren't running out of space.
Strange times!
View attachment Sep-Swarm.mp4

 

[beeno]

Hi Rowena, I had a swarm in September one year! Have you looked for QCs? How many capped brood frames have you got as when these bees emerge the bees will start backfilling with winter stores. Any signs of this yet? How full of bees is the hive? You have to be careful with feeding as if they think there is a flow on you may instigate swarming. Perhaps it would be sufficient to move the super back onto the brood box, so the bees have somewhere to just sit. There is some good weather coming, so perhaps we are all being a bit impatient in getting them to bed for the winter. Let us know how you get on.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I think it's too early for fondant, they need a syrup, easier to us.just end up feeding ants.

It's Not at all to early for fondant, this is a personal preference of how you want to feed your colonys
Imo your less likely to get robbing and its easier than having to make up syrup.

Your bees will store it, and yeh they have to process it but not as much as syrup.

Gone of the day when fondant was used just for emergency feeding.

 

[Newbeeneil]

It's Not at all to early for fondant, this is a personal preference of how you want to feed your colonys
Imo your less likely to get robbing and its easier than having to make up syrup.

Your bees will store it, and yeh they have to process it but not as much as syrup.

Gone of the day when fondant was used just for emergency feeding.

I agree curly, I have been feeding with both thymolised syrup on some colonies and a lump of fondant in an eke on others to evaluate the difference. The ones on fondant are taking it down in a more controlled way and I can apply it any time of day without starting robbing which saves me an extra trip to out apiarys in the evenings. The extra cost (approx 1/3) is certainly offset by the savings in fuel and time!

 

[Curly green finger's]

My instinct would be to roll out a 2.5kg slab of Ambrosia across the entire area of the brood nest covering the 11 frames, then parchment paper or a cardboard template,CB, EKE, Hive roof.

Don't forget about your insulation

I agree curly, I have been feeding with both thymolised syrup on some colonies and a lump of fondant in an eke on others to evaluate the difference. The ones on fondant are taking it down in a more controlled way and I can apply it any time of day without starting robbing which saves me an extra trip to out apiarys in the evenings. The extra cost (approx 1/3) is certainly offset by the savings in fuel and time!

Can we have a super like button pls..

 

[Speybee]

Don't forget about your insulation

Can we have a super like button pls..

The superlike button is the “Lurve“ button

 

[greenmeaney]

Just been out to check one of my apiaries and found that one of my hives has wall to wall brood, little or no stores, I have taken some summer honey off but only a few frames, I was quite shocked as I expected some brood for the winter bees but not this amount. Is this usual?

I am just in the process of treating with api with a view to feeding in a couple of weeks but my concern is that there is little room in the brood box for any stores, I have moved my super box up above the crown board and have given them some frames to clean up plus some broken up frames with solid OSR.

Should I give some of the brood away to another hive which could do with it and give them some space for stores?

Just been out to check one of my apiaries and found that one of my hives has wall to wall brood, little or no stores, I have taken some summer honey off but only a few frames, I was quite shocked as I expected some brood for the winter bees but not this amount. Is this usual?

I am just in the process of treating with api with a view to feeding in a couple of weeks but my concern is that there is little room in the brood box for any stores, I have moved my super box up above the crown board and have given them some frames to clean up plus some broken up frames with solid OSR.

Should I give some of the brood away to another hive which could do with it and give them some space for stores?

I had the same in my top bars all brood no stores fed them 2-1 syrup now they are reducing brood and building stores stopped feeding after 5kg in each hive as ivy and asters now coming in.possibly there was a late flow and they got fooled into thinking lots of resources then a dirth occured?