Brood and a half

[mrbees2]

Due to many reasons I have a brood box with a super on top (no queen excluder in place). I had a new queen towards the end of last season.
Today is the very first time I have been able to get to the hive to see what is going on.
The brood box and super both appear to be thriving, there is honey in the super, but also signs of the queen laying. I have now put a Queen excluder on top of the super and will put a further super on top of that later in the week.
I am tempted to leave it at that - the new queen appears to be thriving, both boxes appear to be full of stores and brood . How do other beekeepers feel about this - is it a good idea or just a bit too simplistic. Many thanks for any advice.

 

[snelgrove]

Brood and a half is considered a messy system, if the queen needs more space than a standard box than why not choose a bigger hive. However, I run some of my colonies on brood and a half. Checking for queen cells is fairly easy, just look at the bottom of the brood super there usually seen there but not always!
Personally I would leave it the way it is

 

[Bearhouse]

I'm only a newbie, so I'm sure that others with more experience will have differing views, but if you run brood and a half like that, isn't it giving yourself a lot more work with every inspection?

We overwintered our hive with a full super over the top, but have been in today and made sure that her Majesty is down in the brood box, and put the queen excluder back in. The bees still have room for stores, but the brood nest is more contained, making it quicker to inspect. Given that we are inexperienced, and probably take much longer than old hands to inspect, we think it should potentially make our lives a little easier/ minimise the time we are fiddling about with the hive.

 

[snelgrove]

I'm only a newbie, so I'm sure that others with more experience will have differing views, but if you run brood and a half like that, isn't it giving yourself a lot more work with every inspection?

We overwintered our hive with a full super over the top, but have been in today and made sure that her Majesty is down in the brood box, and put the queen excluder back in. The bees still have room for stores, but the brood nest is more contained, making it quicker to inspect. Given that we are inexperienced, and probably take much longer than old hands to inspect, we think it should potentially make our lives a little easier/ minimise the time we are fiddling about with the hive.

I agree with you 100 % brood and a half require the inspection of 22 frames. As doses double brood. However the majority of queens theses days require more space than a British standard brood chamber. The options are a bigger hive in the first place or brood and a half or double brood.

 

[For want of a better word]

We run brood and one half on almost everything... except for the Rose hives!

Quick tilt of the box to look for queen cells... if you are going through 22 frames are you looking for disease in every colony every time you go to your hives?

Yeghes da

 

[snelgrove]

We run brood and one half on almost everything... except for the Rose hives!

Quick tilt of the box to look for queen cells... if you are going through 22 frames are you looking for disease in every colony every time you go to your hives?

Yeghes da

If cells are found then you have to check 22 frames

 

[drex]

To th OP - ran brood and half for couple of years, but it was messy and inflexible, since frames could not be moved between brood boxes. Since then have run double brood and not looked back. Generally only need to inspect the top brood box. Friend once asked me if I could go and find his elusive queen. Got there to see that he ran 14x12. Found the frames huge and unwieldy, but found HM . I originally expanded the brood area available to suppress swarming, as in a single national BB they were forever at it. Hope Bearhouse does not run into that problem

 

[pargyle]

To th OP - ran brood and half for couple of years, but it was messy and inflexible, since frames could not be moved between brood boxes. Since then have run double brood and not looked back. Generally only need to inspect the top brood box. Friend once asked me if I could go and find his elusive queen. Got there to see that he ran 14x12. Found the frames huge and unwieldy, but found HM . I originally expanded the brood area available to suppress swarming, as in a single national BB they were forever at it. Hope Bearhouse does not run into that problem

I like 14 x 12 ... it depends on how you start really - I find standard nationals very light by comparison - but what I like about 14 x 12 is that the box is big enough for most queens laying and a well stocked 14 x 12 is fine to see them through winter. It's a matter of choice but brood and a half is only for masochists in my book ... if you are doing that you might as well have 14 x 12.

 

[Bearhouse]

Quote; Drex: Hope Bearhouse does not run into that problem

Me too. I am simply running the same as my local association do, since that's where my bees came from.

 

[For want of a better word]

If cells are found then you have to check 22 frames

True... but not in every colony!

Yeghes da

 

[Finman]

True... but not in every colony!

Yeghes da

I use 3 brood boxes and no excluder. I inspect only top most brood box.

I need big hives. That is why bees have room to make brood.
.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Like pargyle, I like 14x12.
Mine are poly and I have to take food frames out in the spring. The bees do really well in them.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Next inspection, put the super under the bb. Ensure the queen is in the bb then put a QE between the two. After 3 weeks or so, remove the super. At that point decide if your queen needs a double brood or just hinge supers. If she needs double brood, think about converting to 14 X12 next spring.

Brood and a half isn't fair to either bees or beekeeper.

Dusty.