Changing to 14x12

[Roybaz]

Dear Beekeepers,
i recently replaced the BB in my WBC with a larger 14x12 BB to give the bees more room and delay or decrease the probability of swarming. I have placed the existing frames which are full and healthy in the 14x12 and was able to include 2 14x12 undrawn frames at either end. Questions: 1) how do I ultimately replace all the frames with 14x12s? 2) do I need to? I have been told that the bees will build the frames down to take up the new space but I am concerned they will do this with drone cells only from what I have been reading.
As always, any comments would be welcome.
Thanks
Roybaz

 

[REDWOOD]

Yes they will build brace comb and will probably be drone, you could have done a Baileys comb change but as things the way they are start working the 14x12 frames in and the standards out and eventually replace them

 

[thebhoy]

Put a QE on top of the 14 x 12 BB then the old BB on top with the remaining frames that still have brood in them....make sure the queen is in bottom BB and that there is also brood down there to keep enough nurse bees and heat for the queen.
The brood on the national frames will emerge over the next couple of weeks and you can then remove it completely....job done.

If you leave the smaller frames in the 14 x 12 the bees will build onto them and also attach it to other frames, the sides etc....becomes a real pain when you try to check your hive and starts pulling / breaking comb.....trust me....sort it now rather than leaving it for a few weeks.

 

[drstitson]

or you could do BB QE 14x12 QE super. but leave 1 short frame for varroa trapping in drone brood.

 

[Rob55]

When I did this I did a pretty unorthadox way but it worked perfect. I took out one frame at a time took, shook the bees off and took it into the house, dismantled the side and bottom bars and bolted on the 14x12 side bars and bottom bars. You could just pop it back in the hive like this but I decided to go one step further and tied in half a sheet of foundation to plug the gap below. I did this over a period of a few days to cause less disruption to the bees and thankfully it worked perfect and the bees drew the new foundation out and you can barely tell now which frames were converted!

 

[itma]

The wild comb underneath a short frame isn't too bad to deal with - as long as it is straight. (Easier than a topbar hive comb, I'd say.)
It stays pretty straight once it is between two 14x12 frames (or two standard frames with straight wild comb!)

One thing NOT to bother with is T's 14x12 frame converters. Intended for use on new frames, they are bl**dy awkward and the bees don't like them.


I converted last spring and am delighted that I did.
However, every time I run out of brood frames or foundation (for swarms artificial or real), one or more of the standard national deeps gets thrown back into service, and I have to go through the palaver once more of working the ruddy things out of service.
So, I'm kinda used to dealing with the wild comb beneath ...

Make the change totally, then burn your boats, errr frames. No going back!

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

I found the problem with gradually changing over is that, in warm weather, or if fixed to the floor, the additional comb breaks off and drops down at the bottom.


I find it really difficult ( read "stressful") to reach down between bee-filled frames to pick up the bee-covered comb that's dropped off. Never been stung yet - but I have to put 3 standard nucs into three 14 x 12 BBs next week.



Dusty