brood or brood and 1/2 ???

[stephenpug]

hi i have just inspected and have got a rather strong hive it is a one year old queen that i got last may (so she is now one year old) i am a little worried about her swarming although there is no sign but i was thinking of giving her more room would i be better of popping another brood box on top or a super

 

[VEG]

how many frames of brood are in the hive?

 

[stephenpug]

5/6 but the available frames are filling up with pollen and honey + there i loads of bees

 

[Haughton Honey]

Stick a QX and a super on then to give them some space.

Brood and a half is a messy disaster.

 

[Finman]

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If you do something, put the new box under recent box. Otherwise heat escapes from brood to upper box.
I recommend another brood size box. Half is not handy.

 

[stephenpug]

Stick a QX and a super on then to give them some space.

Brood and a half is a messy disaster.

that is exactly what i have done but was hoping some one would confirm i had done the right thing

 

[Finman]

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excluder and super is a disster this time.

 

[Haughton Honey]

.
excluder and super is a disster this time.

Supers should be used for what they are made for.

Nowt else.

 

[Swarm]

Agree with Finman, I'd go with another brood.

 

[Finman]

Supers should be used for what they are made for.

Nowt else.

Halleluja. I wonder who put super onto hive when willow is blooming?

You may call it hyper, but you spoil the colonies build up.

Call it sub what ever, if it feels better.,

 

[Haughton Honey]

Halleluja. I wonder who put super onto hive when willow is blooming?

You may call it hyper, but you spoil the colonies build up.

Call it sub what ever, if it feels better.,

Personally, my colonies build up until the end of June.

Around these parts the willow can still be throwing pollen when the fruit blossom is flowing. I'd rather collect Spring honey in a super than another brood box.

If it was mid-May and the colony had 10 frames of brood and a Buckfast queen then fine....add your brood box.

 

[itma]

I think its a bit early to be putting on a super.

If the shallow box is new, and full of new frames with foundation ... then Finman's suggestion of temporary 'nadiring' (putting it below the brood) has great merit -- if only for forcing the bees to knock some of the newness out of it (and maybe even starting to draw out the foundation), before moving it on top. And I'd still give them some days to get going with it before adding the QX.
This is much less important if you have drawn comb in the shallow box!




// And if you really want to make a mess, use 'super' frames if a half-brood. I'm thinking SN1's on castellations or with plastic push-on spacers ... aaaargh!

 

[Finman]

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Once upon a time I added a new box over brood box as it was said so.

Then I got idea to look what happens in lower box. In many cases 30% of brood was vanished when bees occupied the usptairs.
And I do not even use mesh floor.


When you do those tricks no one know, what kind of weather is next week and do you scrap you car windows in the morning.

 

[Ely]

So the brood is in one deep box? Another deep brood box below as Finman says to expand brood chamber. Not enough bees to be thinking about super

 

[stephenpug]

So the brood is in one deep box? Another deep brood box below as Finman says to expand brood chamber. Not enough bees to be thinking about super

 

[Haughton Honey]

I think its a bit early to be putting on a super.

If the shallow box is new, and full of new frames with foundation ... then Finman's suggestion of temporary 'nadiring' (putting it below the brood) has great merit -- if only for forcing the bees to knock some of the newness out of it (and maybe even starting to draw out the foundation), before moving it on top. And I'd still give them some days to get going with it before adding the QX.
This is much less important if you have drawn comb in the shallow box!




// And if you really want to make a mess, use 'super' frames if a half-brood. I'm thinking SN1's on castellations or with plastic push-on spacers ... aaaargh!

As far as I was aware this is a space issue and currently not much else. Given that the OP has three colonies I'm assuming that he/she has a drawn super?

Forcing a colony to draw foundation in the current climate, let alone a brood box full, just doesn't make sense. Perhaps in two to three weeks when we start to see the fruit blossom (here anyway).

Giving a drawn super - my apologies, I should have recommended drawn frames initially - above a QX make perfect sense, not least because a brood box with new foundation would a) not be drawn unless the colony was being fed continuously and b) because you're giving them a bigger void to worry about.

You can put supers above an 'open' crown board and QX during mid-late March and on warmer days the bees will clean up the frames. It's not uncommon.

All IMHO of course.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Not enough bees to be thinking about super

Ipso Facto not enough bees to be thinking of brood and a half (or double brood) Theyll soon use up that pollen feeding more brood, by the time brood frames increase it'll be time for QX and excluder.

 

[Ely]

I just thought that five to six frames of brood in a single deep wouldn't be strong enough to think about honey. If it is a matter of space then another deep below the brood would be better than brood and a half.

 

[Haughton Honey]

............by the time brood frames increase it'll be time for QX and excluder.

Two?

Belt and braces then!

 

[itma]

... Given that the OP has three colonies I'm assuming that he/she has a drawn super?

Remember that to assume risks making an ass of u and me


Double brood is much more commonly used with Finman's Langstroth boxes than with Nationals.

I see no evidence whatsoever that this colony is so strong that it needs double brood.

Eight frames of brood is the normally recommended point for supering. With brood on just six, it ain't really ready yet.
If the brood box is full of honey, do something about that - swap some stores for an empty frame from a weaker colony and do some strategically-chosen 'bruising' of stores comb.