Add a super or a 2nd brood box?

[steve56616]

What do I add next as think I will be ready to add another box soon, but not sure if I have to give more space for brood or can I go for QX and a super or super minus the QX?

 

[REDWOOD]

If you have a prolific queen and has run out of room to lay add another BB, more bees more honey

 

[richardbees]

Steve

Bearing in mind it's your first year, you've only one hive, you are in Northants and the bees have made a late start ..... I suggest you put a QE on and go for a honey crop.

Obviously you may have a strong layer so keep an eye open for Q cells but there's no point in adding more brood space if the nectar in your area has finished....
Good luck and let's hope for a fine summer!
richard

edit
Redwood, hadn't seen your post when I typed this -we've had a v big regional weather variation this Speing...

 

[Excession]

I would go for bees over honey.

The OP has only one hive, so the focus has got to be getting it as strong as possible.

Plus it's only May, got plenty of time for honey yet?

 

[MuswellMetro]

What do I add next as think I will be ready to add another box soon, but not sure if I have to give more space for brood or can I go for QX and a super or super minus the QX?

so how many frames of brood have you now?
How much stores?
when did you put the bees in the brood box

 

[Ginger19]

I don't want to hijack your thread Steve but I am in the same boat. My brood box is full of bees has loads of brood and no stores. Today I added an excluder plus super with frames some built out, but mainly with foundation and put a feeder on top.
Now you have me thinking I should go with brood and a half as the queen does seem prolific.

 

[ashleybee]

I don't want to hijack your thread Steve but I am in the same boat. My brood box is full of bees has loads of brood and no stores. Today I added an excluder plus super with frames some built out, but mainly with foundation and put a feeder on top.
Now you have me thinking I should go with brood and a half as the queen does seem prolific.

If you've a feeder with syrup in it, on top of a super and an excluder then you will just end up with a super full of syrup not honey. I'd go for double brood over brood + 1/2 as its less hastle if you need to swap some frames around.
AB

 

[Finman]

.

If a beekeeper does not know, how to use excluder, then it is better not to use it.

There are many ways to use excluder. Remember, excluder does not bring honey.
Neither it help the colony grow

Without excluder a beginner learn what the colony tend to do when they have a free hive.

 

[Ginger19]

I am feeding them on the understanding that they would need syrup to help make wax and draw out the foundation. How do you do this without ending up with a syrup store?

(Again sorry Steve for hijacking your thread, hope this help you find answers on this too!)

 

[davnig]

I am feeding them on the understanding that they would need syrup to help make wax and draw out the foundation. How do you do this without ending up with a syrup store?

I don't think you can, generally put an undrawn super on when there's a bit of a flow and they'll use that flow to draw comb

 

[ashleybee]

The bees will draw out the foundation when the need the space for storage or brooding. Don't panic about getting the super drawn out it will happen when there is a flow on. Pull the feeder off and leave the hive as is with the QX on top of the brood box and then the super on top of that.
As Finnman says a queen excluder does not bring honey into the super the bees will do it when they need the extra space. Just watchout for the queen running out of space to lay.
AB

 

[herefordshirehoney]

Finman said to put the super underneath for me (all undrawn foundation). The one hive has drawn out 60% when i checked Monday, the other didnt have the same number of emerged bees so didnt have the wax builders yet.

There is a chance the queen may lay once its ready but she generally goes up, however, if she does the bees will clean it out when I do move it above the brood and QX.

 

[Jeff Buzz]

.

If a beekeeper does not know, how to use excluder, then it is better not to use it.

There are many ways to use excluder. Remember, excluder does not bring honey.
Neither it help the colony grow

Without excluder a beginner learn what the colony tend to do when they have a free hive.

I am leaving my QE in the shed this year until I find a real need for one. I am giving queen room to go and have all the room she needs without restriction why block her in? I see it as.
Queen has lots of room.
She lays lots of eggs.
Bees don't get urge to swarm.
I get lots of bees.

Then I get lots of honey we will see.

I still check for QC every 7 days though making sure they have plenty of room to run.

 

[steve56616]

Please don’t apologies for hijacking my thread… more comments and imput the more I learn
This is what I have in order from front to back. 1 Dummy board, 1 frame pollen and honey, One frame all eggs, four frames B.I.A.S, part drawn combe , 2 honey, Dummy, 1 Foundation
Is it ready for a new BB yet? If it is do I move the honey stores up into new box or do they do that?

 

[yeogi75]

remove dummy boards out, that releases two frame spaces, move store out one space and give two extra frames of foundation

 

[steve56616]

remove dummy boards out, that releases two frame spaces, move store out one space and give two extra frames of foundation

I was of the understanding that dummy boards should be kept in all year as it helps with keeping the hive cool in hot weather, hense insulating for both hot and cold!
So are you saying move store frames up to a new BB? I have been slowly moving foundation with in the dummy boards that have been drawn.
Also one more question that was mentioned in this thread or another I was reading today. Is syrup needed for drawing comb or should I let them do it on their own now? I did remove it earlier this week.

 

[yeogi75]

Steve
presumably you was told when you put your nuc into your hive to put dummy boards in to reduce size of hive to keep warm, if your hive has built up to such an extent as requiring more space, take out the dummy boards as they are no longer required the bees will keep the hive warm and cool in summer, when you take out the boards put honey and pollen next to outside wall and put in new foundation for them to draw out , if you want to go double brood box put under with full foundation allow for the bees to get used to new foundation, when you inspect if you see them making coomb on new foundation and the weather is better put brood box on top , or leave on bottom and allow them to fill downwards

 

[derekm]

.

If a beekeeper does not know, how to use excluder, then it is better not to use it.

There are many ways to use excluder. Remember, excluder does not bring honey.
Neither it help the colony grow

Without excluder a beginner learn what the colony tend to do when they have a free hive.

When we removed the excluder and added a super in similar circumstances, we got a little amount of brood inthe super but it was confined to the lower parts of thecentre frames. This year we have something different, this other colony has taken over nearly all of the first super. Its on a roll...

If you are a beginner you dont know your your colonies, And if its a new unknown queen even the experts might be fooled. Remove the QX and see whats going to happen to your bees. Oh and insulate the super.

 

[steve56616]

So was I right or wrong to remove sugar solution yet regarding drawing comb?

 

[yeogi75]

if you put bb on whether under or over if your bb is full of brood with no dummy frames in then feed small amount of 1 to 1 mix in small batches as if the bees don't take it will start to go off the idea is to start them feeding and not filling up space in brood coomb