Are you on brood and a half?

[freethorpe bees]

Hi All

Going back to the original post, I have one colony on brood and a half with the super underneath. If I want to reduce to single brood box and the bees are filling both boxes at present what is the best course of action?

Thanks - FB

 

[enrico]

If they are filling both box' s now I would suggest they need the room! Leave them. If you insist on reducing the room then put the super over a QE later in the year and let the brood emerge
E

 

[freethorpe bees]

thanks E - there does seem to be alot of bees in the hive so am thinking I will leave them on brood and a half. Would you swap the super to go on top of the brood box at some point? it's on the bottom at the moment.

 

[itma]

Hi All

Going back to the original post, I have one colony on brood and a half with the super underneath. If I want to reduce to single brood box and the bees are filling both boxes at present what is the best course of action?

Thanks - FB

If the bees are filling both boxes (of brood and a half) at present, then you are going to be needing triple brood (at least) quite soon. And so you'd have to be giving them more space as a priority, to avoid swarming.

Frankly, I really don't believe they could be "filling both boxes" at this time of the year.

But if you moved a shallow full of stores underneath in Oct/Nov (or later) then it is likely that it is still fairly full of stores, and likely bees eating it.
If that was the case, and the 'stores' consisted of syrup from your autumn feeding (rather than self-gathered honey), then I'd be inclined to leave the shallow in place, at least until the weather warms up properly.

 

[Apple]

There is no wrong or right way.... Just a preferred way!

THANK YOU ENRICO !

Seems we have been lucky in finding a chap who will guide us through this maze of conflicting opinions, and is happy to leave three of his hives in our orchard, I spoke at length to him today and he said that he has always used standard National hives with brood and a half, with the top box full of stores with the brood box beneath to overwinter, the bees move up to the stores, but this does not present any problems.
In the Spring he will carry out an artificial swarm using a brood box from one of my hives, that will leave us with a colony to begin bee keeping with.
In my professional career I have had the misfortune to meet many who seem to have all the academic qualifications but little practical experience or even common sense.
I agree that undertaking a bee keeping course aimed at the beginner is possibly a good idea, but without ANY practical experience all is nonsensical, that possibly may be why beginners ask what to Tatmar and his ilk are very annoying questions.

A condescending and sarcastic answer is certainly not what any professional and qualified teacher would give.

 

[freethorpe bees]

If the bees are filling both boxes (of brood and a half) at present, then you are going to be needing triple brood (at least) quite soon. And so you'd have to be giving them more space as a priority, to avoid swarming.

Frankly, I really don't believe they could be "filling both boxes" at this time of the year.

But if you moved a shallow full of stores underneath in Oct/Nov (or later) then it is likely that it is still fairly full of stores, and likely bees eating it.
If that was the case, and the 'stores' consisted of syrup from your autumn feeding (rather than self-gathered honey), then I'd be inclined to leave the shallow in place, at least until the weather warms up properly.

Perhaps I should have put IF the bees are filling both boxes. Pardon me. This is why I don't come on here very often - frankly.

 

[enrico]

Perhaps I should have put IF the bees are filling both boxes. Pardon me. This is why I don't come on here very often - frankly.

Please don't take the answers too personally, most ARE trying to be helpful but have to go on info provided. This forum is a good place to learn many things that you may or may not want to use. Please keep posting for the sake of your bees. We all love you really!
E

 

[Finman]

.
One way is that a beginner does not keep excluder at the first half of the summer. Let the queen lay as much as it can. YOu get a good army for main yield. So you get bees for nucs too.

Then you see how much the queen needs for laying. After that , in the middle of summer, you install the excluder and the you will get brood free honey frames.

That way a beginner will learn a natural course of the colony and he takes a all advantage from queen's laying ability.

It is important to add new boxes to the colony according that how the colony grows. It is easy too to give a box of foundations and you get new combs for brooding.

Enlargening the hive is very essential to avoid swarming and to get honey. Allways give the empty box between brood and the honey combs.

.

 

[Swarm]

Smashing reply, Finman. The emphasis being on building the colony early in the season, to reap the rewards later. Very well explained.

.....and freethorpe bees, keep posting, it can be a friendly place too

 

[Jonathan]

Why are people still using Nationals? Everyone should switch to Commercials - adequate brood space, lower risk of swarming, better winter warmth as one box is less drafty than two.

I have kept bees since 1976 and had my own since 1977 and can say that Nationals are, in my opinion, best suited to the UK weather patterns. Sure this is not always the case but taking my last 37 years into account would say it is more often the case than not. I have experimented with just about all available queens over that period of time and none have caused me to change my opinion. I have a few on brood and a half but most on single brood. All of my major successes have been on a single brood. I have two over wintered Buckfast nucs on order now and don't expect them to change my mind this year either!

 

[DanBee]

Ye gads!

 

[REDWOOD]

But it is an option