Do I need a spare hive?

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Beezy

House Bee
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Hi there,

When I perform a bailey frame change in Spring, all the information I've read seem to advise that the bees should also be put in a clean bb with clean/new floor.

Is this right? Does this mean I need to buy a new floor and spare bb, as otherwise I'll have nowhere to put them whilst I'm cleaning/gently scorching the equipment? Expensive to have to buy a complete set of of spare stuff...
 
You will definitely need a 2nd BB if you want to do a Bailey Frame Change as for the floor you can lift the BB of it for a short time to clean but be careful as to what you put the BB onto when cleaning the floor.
 
Hi there,

When I perform a bailey frame change in Spring, all the information I've read seem to advise that the bees should also be put in a clean bb with clean/new floor.

Is this right? Does this mean I need to buy a new floor and spare bb, as otherwise I'll have nowhere to put them whilst I'm cleaning/gently scorching the equipment? Expensive to have to buy a complete set of of spare stuff...

Your question implies that you haven't fully appreciated the nature of the Bailey comb change. By definition, to add a brood chamber above the existing one, with new frames to allow the bees to come up and draw out into will require another brood chamber. The floor I think is a red-herring, as the additional brood chamber (with foundation) is placed on top of the old one, which is already on it's original floor.

Even doing a shook swarm really requires you to have a second box to shake them into. You may as well get on with buying another though, as you'll need it for swarm control.

I guess if you made an adaptor plate you could move the colony into a nucleas hive, then clean up the old box and add in new frames, and then place it on top with the adaptor plate.

Adam
 
Your question implies that you haven't fully appreciated the nature of the Bailey comb change. By definition, to add a brood chamber above the existing one, with new frames to allow the bees to come up and draw out into will require another brood chamber.

Adam

No you don't

Bailley change on a budget,

1)place a sheet of ply on about eight bricks to act as as the base of a floor

2) place two or three bits of wood 21mmx 21mmby 460mm ish or there abouts as the riser for the floor allow one full open entrance

3)place your old brood on this temp floor

4) clean old floor and blow torch varroa screen

5) place two clean supers on the cleaned floor

6)transfer all old brood frames into the two supers and thump in any loose bees

7) crown board on with holes blocked(and roof if inclemant weather)

8)clean and torch your old brood box

9)place brood onto the two supers acting as temp brood box after taking of crown ( brood box full of new frames) add the crown and roof

10) wait until thethey move up and then remove the two supers

11) clean the super and remove brace comb etc

NB two supers will take 14x12 frames as well as standard frames

you can alos do a simialr approach using two super as a temp brood while you blow toarch your old brood box for a shook swarm
 
Last edited:
That's great, thanks v much for running through the actions MM. I'll do that! :)
 
No you don't

Bailley change on a budget,

1)place a sheet of ply on about eight bricks to act as as the base of a floor

2) place two or three bits of wood 21mmx 21mmby 460mm ish or there abouts as the riser for the floor allow one full open entrance

3)place your old brood on this temp floor

4) clean old floor and blow torch varroa screen

5) place two clean supers on the cleaned floor

6)transfer all old brood frames into the two supers and thump in any loose bees

7) crown board on with holes blocked(and roof if inclemant weather)

8)clean and torch your old brood box

9)place brood onto the two supers acting as temp brood box after taking of crown ( brood box full of new frames) add the crown and roof

10) wait until thethey move up and then remove the two supers

11) clean the super and remove brace comb etc

NB two supers will take 14x12 frames as well as standard frames

you can alos do a simialr approach using two super as a temp brood while you blow toarch your old brood box for a shook swarm

Cor, you learn something new everyday. Never thought of using empty supers - I think as I hate keeping drawn super comb out of supers in case it gets damaged, or the wax moth get at it.

Adam
 

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