Advice please?

[Starbuck99]

I have a situation where my hive has brood chamber but have normal shallow national hives, unfortunately my bees have built comb below the bottom bar of frames and there is a lot of hanging down comb that they have built!
My questions are these.

1. What is the best way to deal with this?
2. When is a good time?


My mate suggests putting on another brood box with a QE fitted, then move one frame up at a time (every 3 - 4 days) replacing it with a new deep frame with foundation and eventually over a few weeks they will build on the new frames?

Am open to your wisdom and advice!

Thank View attachment 7644you

 

[VEG]

If i have read this right you have super frames in a brood box. If so leave them alone until spring time then sort the mess out. The bees will not draw out foundation at this time of year, and also a queen excluder is a no go also at this time of year.

 

[fatshark]

I'm hoping that isn't a recent photo ... or that you're in an uncommonly warm corner of Essex. I'd do absolutely nothing until the Spring ( other than heft and feed as necessary ). Then do a Bailey comb change. You'll need to feed them during that as well, unless there's a good OSR flow on.

 

[Starbuck99]

Sorry should made myself clear, nothing happens until the spring!
The photo was taken in September on a very warm day!
Yes I was given a swarm and the bees we put into super frames!
Sadly it's given me this work to do.
I appreciate your comments, I will look into the bailey change? Never heard of this before.

 

[Hivemaker.]

You were given a little advice of what to do back in August.

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=268456#post268456

 

[Starbuck99]

Yes but it made no sense to me, I have left them, I need to know when and what's the best thing to do?
Sorry but new to this a lack experience, just don't want it to put me off beekeeping!

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Sorry but new to this a lack experience, just don't want it to put me off beekeeping!

Hey ho, starbuck99!

We all do things as newbies that are daft looking back.
I certainly have, in my first year - and often confessed on this forum.
(Like the time I 'nudged' queenie to get her to move where I wanted her to be - and she flew off! She came back........eventually)

Sounds to me like:
you ain't done a course;
you ain't got a mentor yet;
and there are a lot of books unopened!

It's going to be a long winter before we can go out and play again* - so you have lots of time yet to rectify all three.

Don't be put off by your misunderstanding. Glad you were able to ask for help.

Keep at it. Definitely worth persevering.


Dusty.

* I was struck by the parallel between bees and the Forum in winter.
Not a lot of productive flying going on, but the bees occasionally emerge because they're full of cr*p and need to discharge it everywhere. Luckily here on the Forum, it's usually restricted to the 'environmental' sub-forum. Mind you, this is post 906 for me - and I've still to produce anything worthwhile. Just a drone, I guess.

 

[farbee]

What about doing a shook swarm in the spring?
This as a much a question as an answer as I have never done one or a Bailey change but would seem another option.

 

[Starbuck99]

Need to read I think?
What I need is a mentor!
Been to my local club but very little beekeeping more about flower show trips and fuchsias sadly, not very user friendly

 

[SixFooter]

Quickest, simplest thing to do would be a shook swarm,but more brushing than shaking

 

[Arfermo]

What about doing a shook swarm in the spring?
This as a much a question as an answer as I have never done one or a Bailey change but would seem another option.

A bailey comb change is quite complicated for a newbie. Shook swarm is over and done with in minutes rather than weeks. Attached word doc explains all but you might need mentoring too. Have you joined local BKA yet - if not best advice is to do so pronto.

 

[tonybloke]

Need to read I think?
What I need is a mentor!
Been to my local club but very little beekeeping more about flower show trips and fuchsias sadly, not very user friendly

where in essex are you?

 

[Hivemaker.]

where in essex are you?

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=20164&page=2

 

[Madge]

... comb below the bottom bar of frames and there is a lot of hanging down comb that they have built!
My questions are these.

1. What is the best way to deal with this?
2. When is a good time?

As others have already suggested, wait for spring and then do a Bailey exchange or a shook swarm (my preference would be a Bailey exchange) - but you can also just leave well alone.

Some people put shallows in the brood box on purpose so that the bees have space to build whatever size comb they want to. If those combs still bother you, then you can slowly move them to the outside of the brood nest and eventually remove them.

Kitta

 

[enrico]

It depends so much on your experience and what equipment you have available. What I would suggest is that you build brood frames over winter. Come the first warm day in spring, have a look through your hive. You will not be able to move the frames around as the bees will have shaped them to fit together. So start at one end, find which end has the frames with the least activity, at this stage stores do not matter but brood is quite important. Take out two or three of these frames and replace with the new foundation. If you can get hold of drawn foundation even better! Next time you go in on another warm day, take out the old frame from the opposite end, put a new one in at the end with the previous new frames. Each time you take out an old frame shake as many bees back into the hive as possible and brush the rest back in. The reason I am suggesting this is because you are less likely to come across the queen who is more likely to be in the centre of the hive. Each time you go in do the same thing and after several inspections you will have moved all the bad frames to one end and removed them one by one. This is going to be less stress to the bees and easier for you to manage. It will help with your manipulation skills and leave brood and food.
If you want to do the job quickly then a shook swarm where you shake and brush every bee off every frame onto new foundation will work but it will take all your food and brood, you will also need two hives etc.
the choice will be yours but as a beginner I would suggest softly softly catchy monkey!!
If you have any other questions please ask. Don't be put off, we all get ourselves in a pickle like this at some time, it usually happens when you get a swarm and have not got another full hive ready to house them so you make do with what you can! A good tip is to always use the correct amount of frames, even if they are super frames, rather than making the space bigger! Odd super frames like you have are easier to deal with than a space filled with wild comb. Well done for asking and keep smiling
E

 

[mbc]

I'd advise nearly the same as Enrico above, but at the first spring inspection take all the shallow frames without brood out, replacing with new deep frames. The remaining shallow frames can be swapped out using the bailey method once the colony has got stronger.

 

[Bob Bee]

I'd advise nearly the same as Enrico above, but at the first spring inspection take all the shallow frames without brood out, replacing with new deep frames. The remaining shallow frames can be swapped out using the bailey method once the colony has got stronger.

 

[oliver90owner]

Another in agreement with the few immediately above.

Anyone advising now re shook swarm is out of touch with reality. You need to decide your course of action on your observations at the time. Shook-swarming a weak colony could easily be the death of them.

Bailey frame changes are far more bee-friendly to the weaker colonies, and are fairly simple, even for new beeks - you just follow the instructions! Just don't use any of those shallow frames as 'proper' honey if they were fed any sugar for the winter stores.

Observing and making appropriate changes is far better than decree-ing your intentions several months in advance.

 

[Starbuck99]

I am in Rayleigh

 

[Hivemaker.]

I am in Rayleigh

Put it on your profile, then they will not keep asking.