Changing brood boxes

[DRam]

We have 'inherited' a colony that are currently set up as double brood box.

The brood boxes could do with some maintenance, and I have some spare brood boxes that I could swap this colony into, but before I do this I just wanted to see if anybody had any advice or warnings about this.

I am planning to do this some time in April once they have gotten re-established after winter. Can i just lift the current brood boxes to the side, then transfer the fames into the replacement brood boxes, making sure everything goes in to the new boxes in the same order and orientation? Or is there a better way of doing this? Is there anything i need to be aware of that might not be obvious?

Thanks in advance for any advice given.

 

[The Poot]

Your plan is fine.
Do you know the history of the colony - regarding disease / varroa control etc?

 

[Erichalfbee]

We have 'inherited' a colony that are currently set up as double brood box.

The brood boxes could do with some maintenance, and I have some spare brood boxes that I could swap this colony into, but before I do this I just wanted to see if anybody had any advice or warnings about this.

I am planning to do this some time in April once they have gotten re-established after winter. Can i just lift the current brood boxes to the side, then transfer the fames into the replacement brood boxes, making sure everything goes in to the new boxes in the same order and orientation? Or is there a better way of doing this? Is there anything i need to be aware of that might not be obvious?

Thanks in advance for any advice given.

Yes

 

[Ian123]

I’ll often find on first inspections in March those that have overwintered in a dbl box can be pushed down to a single. You could probably get 1 box away then and dump any old frames.

 

[DRam]

Thank you for your replies.

The colony was checked prior to the winter and was disease-free and had been treated for varroa. An experienced bee keeper has offered to help me on our first spring inspection to confirm all is well.

Its a good point about the double brood being pushed down into one box, I'll look for that and as you say a good time to get rid of any old frames.

Thansk again.