Changing from brood and a 1/2 to deep.

[Queen Brenda]

I want to do what the title says to make inspections easier and free up 3 supers.

Presumably I would do this in spring but how? I could put the old BB on top with new deep boxes under but then they would have such a lot of work to do drawing out all those new frames of deep foundation. Then, when settled in I could put the QE between having, hopefully shaken the queen down, off the old brood frames. However, in one colony, I have never met the queen although good, productive and strong colony. What would I then do with all those used brood frames and stores? If I leave them on to be cleaned, the bees will start storing and capping won't they?

Or should I put some of the old brood frames into the deep box and then build up gradually until a full complement of deep frames? I suppose I then put a QE under the old 1/2 brood and treat as a super?

Or what?

 

[REDWOOD]

Look up Baileys comb change and do it next spring when bee numbers are up
A deep is what you have now, 14x12 is just that

 

[Erichalfbee]

I did two baileys this year. All went well and I had two boxes of new frames. You can use any old manky empty frames in a bait hive.

 

[MuswellMetro]

This is my variant that i use if it is just changing frame size

move the old national box to the side and place a 14x12 box on the old site, dress the 14x12 box with two 14x12 foundation frames

take one of the national frame with open brood and find the Queen and place her and the open brood frame next to 14x12 frames of foundation ( this becomes your drone brood frame and remains in the 14x12)

shake in all the bees from the national store frames and remove the store frames from the national and also any empty frames

count the number of brood frames left in the national and then add 14x12 foundation frames to the 14x12 box so the total number of frames in both boxes are the same, Dummy down both boxes and fill the big voids with bubble wrap

Then place the national box over a queen excluder on top of the 14x12 box, close up and feed 1:1 (imperial ) sugar syrup

inspect in seven days and remove frames without brood from the top national box, add the same number of 14x12 frames to the lower box as you removed from the upper box

repeat @ fourteen days and at 21 days remove the national box as all brood will have hatched

if you are on brood and a half then depending where the brood is then you will need to modify the process

 

[Bosleeu]

Bees move upwards more readily than downwards, so put the new box on top in Spring and do a standard Bailey. If needs be you can feed to help them with the comb building.

I wouldn't do it now.