Full brood box..

[Andrew2000]

I did a beekeeping course many years ago. I seem to remember at the time that you should always keep a couple of frames of stores in the brood box.

My situation now is that I have a 12 frame brood box and queen excluder and 2 reasonnably full supers on top. The brood box has 10 frames FULL of brood! There are also 2 brood frames of stores at either end.

The bees are happy but are definately out of space so Im concerned about swarming.

It may be a dumb question but can I just swap the 2 stores frames in the brood box for 2 blanks to give the queen more space to lay?

 

[Ian123]

So why aren’t you adding another brood box?

 

[Andrew2000]

Id like to keep it single brood box as this has been successful over the years.

I can either swap out the brood box stores for blanks or start a swarm control method.

 

[Amari]

As a minimum add more supers but double BB is a good idea. Pre-emptive swarm control method? - try JBM's Demaree - but usually done a little earlier in the season
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/demaree.46464/

 

[Erichalfbee]

Ideal for a Demaree.

 

[Finman]

Id like to keep it single brood box as this has been successful over the years.

I can either swap out the brood box stores for blanks or start a swarm control method.

Grazy....

Ypu have a good queen which like to lay more than you permit. You play with risk , that hou force your hive to swarm

I like good layers and big hives. Such bring honey.

. I use 3 langstroth brood boxes. Big idea is that the lowest box is a pollen store. Otherwise bees store pollen into the honey frames. They want to keep pollen stores next to brood.
Ido not have pollen in the honey frames shen I extract honey.

 

[Finman]

Ideal for a Demaree.

But there is no need to that.

 

[Erichalfbee]

But there is no need to that.

Why not? It’s just like having two brood boxes

 

[Andrew2000]

Thanks for all the advice.

I guess the options are then

1) swap the 2 frames of brood for 2 blanks and let them fill up to 12 frames (may then need swarm control in future)
2) swarm control now, leave the 2 frames of brood in place.

Votes for 1) or 2) please!

 

[jeff33]

It's not a question of vote really? Swap the 2 frames will just buy you a week at best and then what, they may make swarm preps bang on at the start of the main flow? Add a 2nd BB or demaree are your most sensible options.

 

[Spikedog]

Thanks for all the advice.

I guess the options are then

1) swap the 2 frames of brood for 2 blanks and let them fill up to 12 frames (may then need swarm control in future)
2) swarm control now, leave the 2 frames of brood in place.

Votes for 1) or 2) please!

Double brood... (2)

 

[Ian123]

In the good old days we taught beginners to add another box if the queen or bees required it

 

[drex]

Exactly. Let the bees tell you. Add another BB ( shallow or deep- brood and a half is an abomination In my book though)

 

[RichardK]

Were you to add a second brood box underneath the 2 supers (in top of the original brood box) is there a risk that the bees would then fill the additional brood box with nectar rather than the supers?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Once they start drawing it, the queen will be up there like a shot and it will all balance out

 

[StephenT]

Option 3 seems to be to move 14x12 if the original poster wants to stick to one brood box.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Option 3 seems to be to move 14x12 if the original poster wants to stick to one brood box.

still better off with double brood

 

[RichardK]

Once they start drawing it, the queen will be up there like a shot and it will all balance out

Interesting. And I guess that means that later in the season you could just split the 2 boxes to have a second colony, either adding a mated queen or letting them raise one themselves?

 

[blackcloud]

12 frames?

 

[jeff33]

Interesting. And I guess that means that later in the season you could just split the 2 boxes to have a second colony, either adding a mated queen or letting them raise one themselves?

By the time the season ends the queen will have slowed down laying. Depending on the size of the hive you can either get back to single box by putting all the frames with brood into a single one or overwinter on dble. Splitting is an option but I rather have 1 strong hive going into winter than 2 weaker ones.