brood or brood and 1/2 ???

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Two?

Belt and braces then!

Oops - QX and super!

 

[oliver90owner]

Think a bit about your other colonies. Would either benefit from a frame of emerging brood? That may not be the answer, but just one of several possibilities.

A drawn comb shallow as a super would be better than a box of foundation, removing a couple frames of stores would allow another couple of frames of foundation to be inserted.

Don't get hung up on only one option. Remember supers are for honey collection primarily and there may not be enough around, just yet, to justify one. Your call in the end, but just think about all the options first.

RAB

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Also a surplus frame of pollen could be stored somewhere for a rainy day.

 

[Ely]

I am a little confused here. I am used to a bigger 14x12 or 16x10 brood box. For those of you that run deeps, is it not standard practice for you to build the brood chamber up into another box to get a strong colony before supering?

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[jenkinsbrynmair]

I am a little confused here. I am used to a bigger 14x12 or 16x10 brood box. For those of you that run deeps, is it not standard practice for you to build the brood chamber up into another box to get a strong colony before supering?

Sent from my XT615 using Tapatalk 2

No

 

[Finman]

to get a strong colony before supering?

2

I do not count what is super and what is something else.

Colony needs more room when it grows. It bring surplus if it brings. Next week, when it is rainy, it may eate almost all.

When my hives start to bring honey, they mostly have 4-5 boxes.
They have honey in brood frames and where ever. Important is that honey is inside the hive and not outside.

One way to use excluder is to start to use it on late period of main yield.

.

 

[VEG]

No

 

[Hivemaker.]

I am a little confused here. I am used to a bigger 14x12 or 16x10 brood box. For those of you that run deeps, is it not standard practice for you to build the brood chamber up into another box to get a strong colony before supering?

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Yes, run them on multiple standard deeps through the active season, over winter on double or single, depending on the strength of colony.

 

[mbc]

No

Yes, .

Not necessarily ?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Not necessarily ?

Maybe

 

[VEG]

sometimes

 

[Haughton Honey]

Nope.

Drawn super above QX or drawn super above QX and 'open' crown board at the mo if you need some space.....or you need your head feeling!

 

[domino]

I did my first inspection today and I left a super on without a QX during the winter. So I've got brood and half at the moment. It's a mess I've slapped QX on, I could find the queen but I'll know were he is in the next week or so and get here under the QX before I do a comb change.

Brood & half seems a pain.

 

[Luminos]

I did my first inspection today and I left a super on without a QX during the winter. So I've got brood and half at the moment. It's a mess I've slapped QX on, I could find the queen but I'll know were he is in the next week or so and get here under the QX before I do a comb change.

Brood & half seems a pain.

Me too, except mine's a 14 x 12 with a std BB below...terrible mess...I'm not going to look in there any more...

 

[davnig]

I did my first inspection today and I left a super on without a QX during the winter. So I've got brood and half at the moment.

That was correct, otherwise you run the risk of Q being separated from cluster if the cluster moves up to feed and then the Q dying from cold/starvation , you just left it too late to put one on this spring.

Put Qx on, they'll raise the brood and eventually you'll just have to replace the super frames that had brood in - easily fixed.

Be thankful you have brood

 

[DanBee]

would i be better of popping another brood box on top or a super

See below. A second brood box when the brood nest needs more space will save you all the headaches of adding a super and going brood and a half.

 

[Spadaman]

I did my first inspection today and I left a super on without a QX during the winter. So I've got brood and half at the moment. It's a mess I've slapped QX on, I could find the queen but I'll know were he is in the next week or so and get here under the QX before I do a comb change.

Brood & half seems a pain.

I am in exactly the same position ! My concern is that if I place a Qx above the brood box and the Queen is still in the super then that becomes the Brood Box and problems increase. My mentor suggested to reverse the boxes ( i.e. super on bottom ) and let the bees and hopefully the queen, move up into the brood box until all the brood in the super has emerged. Then remove the super.

Sounds pretty sensible to me. Anyone got any better ideas?

One question I have relating to double brood or brood and a half ; what do you do with the top box when you cannot find the queen in there? I don't want to put it down anywhere in case she is still in there and falls off whilst moving it. I thought of having a spare floor and placing it on that whilst I go through the bottom box but this is a bit of PIA. I thought about inspecting the bottom box first but this still entails moving the top box somewhere with the inherent risk of loosing the queen. What do others do?

Like Domino, I'll be doing a frame change onto 14x12 asap !

 

[Finman]

One question I have relating to double brood or brood and a half ; what do you do with the top box when you cannot find the queen in there? !

I use 3 brood box and I do not use excluder at all.

There is no difficulties to find the queen because it is in top most brood box.
And you need not see the queen. It is enough when you see young larvae and eggs.

The queen runaway if you give too much smokle. But how many times in a summer you must see the queen?

When you use 2 brood box, most of room in lower box is stored pollen.
Then bees have no need to store pollen in supers.

.

 

[oliver90owner]

the Queen is still in the super then that becomes the Brood Box and problems increase

You don't appear to have read Domino's post in entirety. He will know within three days time where the queen is, so no real problem. If she is upstairs, move her down, if downstairs the brood upstairs will have emerged in another week and a half or so and the box can then be used or removed. Personally, it doesn't bother me if the comb has been brooded in; for some it does. If it does, then park it under a Q/E and below the brood box and the bees will move any stores up in double quick time.

At this time of the year I am reticent to put brood below a Q/E and under the brood due to the cold weather we are experiencing - later in the year, no problem.

 

[Finman]

.
The site of excluder is not a problem. If it is, take it totally off.