bursting with brood - coupled with a bodged nadir

[Curley]

Had two very pleasant days on the trot here in mid Wiltshire so took the opportunity to remove some nadired shallows, change floors and have a quick look. Glad I did .

One particular colony was on eight frames of brood across the brood box mostly capped, with fair patches of drone brood. I did't look through the lower box or remove it as it has been complicated by the fact that one of the frames was missing in the nadired shallow (2nd one in) and the gap has been completely filled with comb and brood (again a fair bit of drone brood. I cut the inspection short because I needed to think and they were getting a bit tetchy, so I don't know how much brood in is in the lower box but I assuming there will be some as the wild comb in the gap was so extensive.

What do I do now? I don't really want to go brood and a half although it looks like I may have no option. I am thinking that this colony if it is this strong at this time in the season will need to be double brood let alone brood and a half.

My plan is to:
Remove the wild(ish) comb that is extending into the nadir.
Make the nadir into a super above a QX making sure the queen is below.
Add another brood box of foundation below.

Will this work (ie turn the colony into a double brood with one super or are there better options?

Any advice appreciated.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

sounds like a good plan to me - but put the new brood box on top of the old one as soon as the brood in the shallow has all emerged.

 

[Curley]

Thanks JBM - will give that a go.

 

[beeno]

Hi Curley,
It sounds like there is nowhere, in the short term, for the queen to lay but in the super frame. Unless you have drawn brood combs to mix in with the new foundation in the new brood box I would keep the super frame accessible to the queen for the time being.
In addition you need space for all the pollen and nectar going in my part of the SE at least.

 

[Finman]

.
It sounds that you have a good queen.


Add a brood foundation box now lowest. Bees occupy it when they are ready.

If hive has much food stores, lift extra food frames in the middle of foundation box and put foundations sidemost in the upper box. ... Recycling old winter stores

When it is time to give 4th box, then lift that half brood box over the excluder.

At same time swap the two brood boxes. Swapping has many advantages
- prevent swarming
- puts last winter food in recycling
- brood frames will be used evenly
- take sidemost frames in the middle of brood that bees take old honey/sugar to consumption.

 

[Finman]

.
You may keep two and half brood boxes and then you see how good the queen is.
In the middle of summer then put it over excluder when swarming things have passed.