Full brood box..

[Finman]

Votes for 1) or 2) please!

I looked this evening my good hive. It is some kind of hybrid. Buckfast × Italian × Carniolan. About 10 queen cells.

Tomorrow I make an artificial flying swarm onto foundations. And that is it.

The hive is full of nectar and the queen is almost stopped laying.

After 3 days it starts again laying. And the foundations will be drawn.

When the swarming fever is over, I join the hive parts again. Honey flow is huge just now.

 

[RichardK]

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.

Thanks for that. Out of interest, do people ever get to triple brood? Genuine question as my double brood (Dadant) is approximately equal to a triple brood National deep.

 

[Ian123]

Thanks for that. Out of interest, do people ever get to triple brood? Genuine question as my double brood (Dadant) is approximately equal to a triple brood National deep.

Yes frequently….. my bottom boxes get rammed with pollen during peak flow.

 

[RichardK]

Yes frequently….. my bottom boxes get rammed with pollen during peak flow.

That is good to hear. Was worried a triple brood would be some monstrous beast never to be contemplated!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

12 frames?

why not? just remember to carry a lump hammer in your toolbox to ram the last frame home

 

[user 20297]

why not? just remember to carry a lump hammer in your toolbox to ram the last frame home

Traditional, US. You Tube beekeeping.

 

[jeff33]

Honey flow is huge just now.

Lucky you, pittance so far here this year!!

 

[jeff33]

why not? just remember to carry a lump hammer in your toolbox to ram the last frame home

Funnily enough, I went to help someone today after a request via the beekeeping club who didn't have a clue. 2 hives, 1 died out and the other one was pretty feisty. I watched him crack the crown board opened, 12 frames, killed a dozen bees while removing the 12th frame and handled the rest of the frames/inspection like a caveman.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Lucky you, pittance so far here this year!!

Yes. Checked all mine today and absolutely no food in the broods....nothing

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Lucky you, pittance so far here this year!!

flow started up again with us today - just two fields away from the Northern boundary of the Lordship of Gower.

 

[jeff33]

flow started up again with us today - just two fields away from the Northern boundary of the Lordship of Gower.

2 fields and an estuary.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

2 fields and an estuary

no, the boundary is the river Loughor up to Amanford then the river Aman to the confluence of the Garnant then the Garnant to the source, the river Aman runs two hundred yards from Brynmair and those three rivers mark the point where we stopped the franks (Normans) and just up the road, on the banks of the Garnant we slaughtered a load of 'em

 

[Moody]

Why don't you add a shallow brood box. Will help you manage the colony without it being too big and hopefully the brood in the middle frames will start emerging soon and the queen can re-lay in them frames.

 

[Murox]

Yes. Checked all mine today and absolutely no food in the broods....nothing

Similar story up here just now!

 

[Newbeeneil]

Similar story up here just now!

Same here I'm still putting lumps of fondant on small colonies.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I’ve got Ultrabee going on a few nucs

 

[Lottie]

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?

Why not take out some of the brood frames with bias and add them to other hives?

 

[Murox]

Same here I'm still putting lumps of fondant on small colonies.

did the same last Saturday

 

[pete darbyshire]

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!

Option three, ignore all the advice to give the queen more space and just get a crappy queen!!

 

[Finman]

Let the colony swarm untill it is proper size