tom8400
House Bee
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2013
- Messages
- 109
- Reaction score
- 4
- Location
- oxfordshire
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 1
Hello all
Well my colony that found me as a prime swarm seem to be doing well. they are in a standard brood although I let them use the second super as brood if they wished as it seems a very strong colony. and I was kind and left them with two supers one was full of capped honey at the time and some where they took syrup the second was extra filled with sugar syrup where I was winter feeding, yes adding the second was a big mistake .
So there is very few dead being dragged out and on a nice day a few make flights plus when I added the mouse guard I didn't get a friendly welcome I take all of that as a good sign. They are also insulated.
I'm thinking I wont need to feed but should I edge of the side of caution and put a fondant block on top of ground board in the insulation or a insulated eke?
the real newbie question i'm wondering when will I need to send the queen back to the bottom and put a excluder back in april time?
lastly I plan to do a split of this hive to increase, and to prevent swarming, I do have a empty deep national that I could use but the different frames would make this a pain. I can't exactly see from all the youtube videos and what I read the advantages for using a 5/6 frame nuc opposed to another brood box other than keeps them a bit tighter, so what would you do build a 5/6 frame nuc box or buy another standard brood box and use the other components from the second national hive? this also makes me wonder should I put a swarm in a 5/6frame opposed to a full brood?
Thank you for your time if you managed to read to the end
Well my colony that found me as a prime swarm seem to be doing well. they are in a standard brood although I let them use the second super as brood if they wished as it seems a very strong colony. and I was kind and left them with two supers one was full of capped honey at the time and some where they took syrup the second was extra filled with sugar syrup where I was winter feeding, yes adding the second was a big mistake .
So there is very few dead being dragged out and on a nice day a few make flights plus when I added the mouse guard I didn't get a friendly welcome I take all of that as a good sign. They are also insulated.
I'm thinking I wont need to feed but should I edge of the side of caution and put a fondant block on top of ground board in the insulation or a insulated eke?
the real newbie question i'm wondering when will I need to send the queen back to the bottom and put a excluder back in april time?
lastly I plan to do a split of this hive to increase, and to prevent swarming, I do have a empty deep national that I could use but the different frames would make this a pain. I can't exactly see from all the youtube videos and what I read the advantages for using a 5/6 frame nuc opposed to another brood box other than keeps them a bit tighter, so what would you do build a 5/6 frame nuc box or buy another standard brood box and use the other components from the second national hive? this also makes me wonder should I put a swarm in a 5/6frame opposed to a full brood?
Thank you for your time if you managed to read to the end