Full Hive Advice: Swarm Worries

[nmesmeric]

Hey Guys,

I received my first nuc in May, and have been enjoying my first summer as a beekeeper.

However, during recent inspections the brood box is absolutely packed with bees/brood/honey, there doesn't look like there is any room for any more expansion.

Because of this i'm worried the hive will swarm, could this happen even though we are coming up to August? There don't appear to be any queen cells yet.

I have added a super and a queen excluder, however they don't seem to be using this! Maybe I should remove the queen excluder?

Thanks,

Felix

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

They will move up when they are ready to do so - no need for any magic tricks

 

[Poly Hive]

2nd brood box? Hive type is not stated though.

PH

 

[nmesmeric]

It is a national hive with a standard brood box

 

[Erichalfbee]

It is a national hive with a standard brood box

What sort of bees?
A standard Nat is too small for a lot of the modern bees

 

[drex]

Yep. I have home bred mongrels, but they still manage to need double brood. Swarms can still happen for the next couple of months.

If the colony is strong enough I would take the QX and super off and put on another brood box, possibly reconfiguring the brood nest to occupy the centre of both boxes. Still a good bit of the season to go, especially down south. The worst that can happen is you will get honey in deep frames rather than shallows. I find with the right management it is rare to need to feed my colonies before winter, as I leave them any honey filled deeps, but it depends on your beekeeping priorities.

 

[drex]

Yep. I have home bred mongrels, but they still manage to need double brood. Swarms can still happen for the next couple of months.

If the colony is strong enough I would take the QX and super off and put on another brood box, possibly reconfiguring the brood nest to occupy the centre of both boxes. Still a good bit of the season to go, especially down south. The worst that can happen is you will get honey in deep frames rather than shallows. I find with the right management it is rare to need to feed my colonies before winter, as I leave them any honey filled deeps, but it depends on your beekeeping priorities.

 

[drex]

Whoops, sorry. At least ( moderators) it was not offensive

 

[B+.]

Swarms can still happen for the next couple of months.

It isn't just the risk of swarming that is of concern here. It is the inability of the queen to lay eggs. This will be a problem as we move into autumn and the queen can't make bees to see her through winter.
If the OP has a spare brood box, he might try raising a few frames into this second box, even if he has to fill the space with foundation.This will give them something to work on and, hopefully, provide some much needed space.

 

[nmesmeric]

Thanks for all your advice guys, it's very valuable. I don't have another brood box, I do however have 2 spare supers.

Shall i just remove the queen excluder and allow full access to a super for the queen to lay etc?

 

[Clemcook]

Thanks for all your advice guys, it's very valuable. I don't have another brood box, I do however have 2 spare supers.

Shall i just remove the queen excluder and allow full access to a super for the queen to lay etc?

Yep

I have done this many times, great for a short term fix to prevent any swarm urges

 

[nmesmeric]

Thanks Clemcook

What is the long term fix?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Thanks Clemcook

What is the long term fix?

Ha ha. There isn’t one. They are all short term fixes, weekly, till swarming season is over

 

[drex]

More space for queen to lay, either by giving more brood boxes and/or getting honey out of the brood box. This can be done by removing full frames and replacing with empty or, at a push foundation, or you can try scoring the honey bound frames and hoping they move it up into supers. The removed frames can be extracted or kept and put back pre winter.

 

[Erichalfbee]

This time of year I find the bees draw brood foundation nicely if you put a frame right in the middle