Brood in super

[RJC]

Each year I have a couple of hives with brood in supers this time of year, above the QX. Obviously the first port of call is a faulty QX, but it seems to happen with different QXs. I was wondering if, in the winter queens slim down a bit and can get through, a bit like virgin Qs can? I should say that today the queen was where she should be, happily below the QX, and there were no fresh eggs in there, but she's obviously had an excursion up there coupler of weeks ago.

 

[enrico]

I wouldn't have queen excluders on yet!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Each year I have a couple of hives with brood in supers this time of year, above the QX. Obviously the first port of call is a faulty QX, but it seems to happen with different QXs. I was wondering if, in the winter queens slim down a bit and can get through, a bit like virgin Qs can? I should say that today the queen was where she should be, happily below the QX, and there were no fresh eggs in there, but she's obviously had an excursion up there coupler of weeks ago.

Do you overwinter with a super on top over a QX?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I was wondering if, in the winter queens slim down a bit and can get through, a bit like virgin Qs

no - neither can VQ's unless they are tiny ones - regardless of whether they are slimmed down or fat, the size of the thorax determines whether they can pass through a QX and that stays the same regardless of whether the queen has been slimmed down or not.

 

[RJC]

Thanks, guess it's a faulty QX then (or a few!). I over winter with a super underneath, so I guess a chance a few eggs could have been laid before I swapped them back. Ref too early for Qxs - maybe, but I have a couple of supers being filled (OSR flowering around me), and as I use drone brood foundation I try and minimise the risk of egg laying in them.

 

[blackcloud]

Renew them I would.That will eliminate bad kit.
If it's still happening at least you will have spares.
They're precision instruments -slightest distortion+ skinny queen=trouble

 

[jeff33]

I wouldn't have queen excluders on yet!

I put my Qx on first inspection if a hive has overwintered on brood and a half so by the time all brood emerges in the super the spring flow has started. If I leave it any longer I have a super full of brood.
For the OP, queens don't slim down that much in the winter to go through. I wouldn't overwinter with a QX though.

 

[Finman]

Basic idea in getting honey is to let the colony make so much brood as possible. It takes 6 weeks time when new bees start to become foragers.the volony must be certain size, that is able to gather yield

You cannot get honey so, that you put excluder and bees put brood under the excluder and honey above.

Let the bees first make at least 2 brood box size amount broof and then wait that start to emerge and workers enough old to get balance with foragers and nurser bees.

In a small hive all bees' energy goes into the nursing of growing brood hive.

If the colony loose 20 % out of its brood for example to chalkbrood, they cannot make much much honey stores during the summer.

If the colony makes 20% out of its brood drones, it will loose half of its honey yield for drones. ... a hint to natural comb grovers!

If your pastures are poor, you do not get much honey.

 

[Finman]

If I leave it any longer I have a super full of brood.

So your queens are able to lay more but you do not give enough space to lay. You sacrifice the good build up for tiny spring yield.

 

[enrico]

I put my Qx on first inspection if a hive has overwintered on brood and a half so by the time all brood emerges in the super the spring flow has started. If I leave it any longer I have a super full of brood.
For the OP, queens don't slim down that much in the winter to go through. I wouldn't overwinter with a QX though.

I understand that, but that is not how the op comes across.itvsounds to me as though they have been put on with a super or left on over winter!

 

[jeff33]

So your queens are able to lay more but you do not give enough space to lay. You sacrifice the good build up for tiny spring yield.

No I don't, they get a 2nd BB if they need or get demaree when I have 8 frames of brood.

 

[Boston Bees]

I understand that, but that is not how the op comes across.itvsounds to me as though they have been put on with a super or left on over winter!

No, the OP (in their second post) has clarified that they nadir the super over winter, and move it up in spring (and have already done so), putting a QEx under it immediately.

 

[jeff33]

No, the OP (in their second post) has clarified that they nadir the super over winter, and move it up in spring (and have already done so), putting a QEx under it immediately.

So she must have laid before swapping them over and he didn't notice the eggs.

 

[Boston Bees]

So she must have laid before swapping them over and he didn't notice the eggs.

I over winter with a super underneath, so I guess a chance a few eggs could have been laid before I swapped them back.

 

[Finman]

or get demaree when I have 8 frames of brood.
[/QUOT

How doest help build up?

 

[jeff33]

By not restricting building space. The queen gets at least 4 empty drawn frames down the bottom. I don't really want to have really strong hives too early as the forage is only wild flowers here and I don't want to risk swarms before the main flow. I get a spring flow for 2-3 weeks at the end of April and not much until the end of June which gives them plenty of time to swarm.

 

[enrico]

No, the OP (in their second post) has clarified that they nadir the super over winter, and move it up in spring (and have already done so), putting a QEx under it immediately.

I missed that post, thanks