Brood in super

[Barbara99]

Hello and thanks in advance for helping me. I am in my 3rd year as a beekeeper and have 2 colonies who were both left with a super of honey last autumn. Last week when I did my first thorough I inspection after the winter I foun d they had both come through well and still had stores in the super . One hive however had little left in the brood box and the queen has already started laying in the super. Will this sort itself out or should I be doing something to encourage her down into the brood box.
I find this site invaluable as a newbie for picking up information.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Find the queen, put her down in the brood box, put a queen excluder on to stop her going back up and laying in the super.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

The worrying thing is putting the queen down to the brood box if you are not experienced in it. Suggest - don't smoke the entrance as you will drive her up. Lift the corner of the crownboard up and smoke from the top. Wait a few moments and then remove the crownboard. Smoke gently at the top of the hive and wait a few more moments - then take the super off and put it on the upturned roof or lift if you have a WBC. (If you have a pitched roof National, then you're on your own! ) With luck the queen will have moved away from the smoke and will be found in the brood box. You can then put an 'excluder on the BB. If she is in the super you can pick her up if you are comfortable doing it or hold the super frame above the brood box so it touches the top bars and then coax her down. I wouldn't advise jolting the frame to dislodge her as she might fall onto the grass.

 

[enrico]

If you are no good at finding the queen then, as long as there are some stores in the brood box, you can slip a QE between both box's in four or five days look for eggs in both box's. The one that has the eggs has the queen so it may make your search easier.
Personally I swap the box's. I put the super below the brood box and leave them as a brood and a half for the rest of the year.
E

 

[birdsandbees]

had this in a couple of mine at the weekend, queen found and relocated into Brood box and QE put on, just going to have to let the Drones out when they emerge now.

 

[enrico]

You will probably find they kill most of them and leave them dead on the queen excluder!
E