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milkermel

Field Bee
Joined
Oct 29, 2009
Messages
768
Reaction score
20
Location
left of launceston right of bude!
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
6
One brood box with 4 frames drawn from AS hat put super of honey on top of crown board hoping they would take it down but no joy, what would people do?? Nuc box then artificial feed?.

Also I've just picked up a swarm bait box which customer said was unused only to find a swarm ensconced. Unfortunately when customer put box up they didn't put crown board in so there's a lovely jumble of brace comb, I'm planning to leave this nightmare until next year to sort (solutions appreciated) but my question is how can I get some feed into there to help them survive??
 
Either poly nuc or dummy down with insulated dummies and feed, feed, feed.

Leave it til spring as you thought, then put a box with foundation on top of the bait box and let them come up. Make an eke as required feed syrup or fondant.
 
...Also I've just picked up a swarm bait box ... Unfortunately when customer put box up they didn't put crown board in so there's a lovely jumble of brace comb, ... how can I get some feed into there to help them survive??
Can you get the roof off? If so, I’d sort it now. Scrape off the brace comb, add a crown board, and feed as usual.
 
Oh, I thought the brace comb would be on top of frames. So, you have a box filled with wild comb, rather than brace comb? In that case, do as Murox suggested: add a crown board with a feeding hole with an eke on top, and feed them as necessary. Also add insulation.
 
One brood box with 4 frames drawn from AS hat put super of honey on top of crown board hoping they would take it down but no joy, what would people do?? Nuc box then artificial feed?.

If you are worried about them having enough stores put the super underneath the brood box, they will use it first and then move up ... if it was a super of capped honey they would not take it down from above the crown board - you could try scratching the cappings off. I would usually only put uncapped honey or the odd frame that has come apart in the extractor for them to clean up above the crown board.

Also I've just picked up a swarm bait box which customer said was unused only to find a swarm ensconced. Unfortunately when customer put box up they didn't put crown board in so there's a lovely jumble of brace comb, I'm planning to leave this nightmare until next year to sort (solutions appreciated) but my question is how can I get some feed into there to help them survive??

If the comb will lift off with the lid you could take the whole lot from the bait box, lid and all, and suspend it on some top bars in a normal hive ... you might have to fabricate an eke to go over the top of the roof, put a crown board over the eke and you can feed them with a conventional feeder in an empty super and then a normal roof on top. I certainly would not start messing about with cutting out comb at this stage of the year. If you can feed them up and they get to spring you can sort it out then. Your other option is to find a way of getting some fondant into the box ...
 
One brood box with 4 frames drawn from AS hat put super of honey on top of crown board hoping they would take it down but no joy, what would people do?? Nuc box then artificial feed?.

If you are worried about them having enough stores put the super underneath the brood box, they will use it first and then move up ... if it was a super of capped honey they would not take it down from above the crown board - you could try scratching the cappings off. I would usually only put uncapped honey or the odd frame that has come apart in the extractor for them to clean up above the crown board.

Also I've just picked up a swarm bait box which customer said was unused only to find a swarm ensconced. Unfortunately when customer put box up they didn't put crown board in so there's a lovely jumble of brace comb, I'm planning to leave this nightmare until next year to sort (solutions appreciated) but my question is how can I get some feed into there to help them survive??

If the comb will lift off with the lid you could take the whole lot from the bait box, lid and all, and suspend it on some top bars in a normal hive ... you might have to fabricate an eke to go over the top of the roof, put a crown board over the eke and you can feed them with a conventional feeder in an empty super and then a normal roof on top. I certainly would not start messing about with cutting out comb at this stage of the year. If you can feed them up and they get to spring you can sort it out then. Your other option is to find a way of getting some fondant into the box ...
Ah, now fondant I can do, the lid lifts but with suspended wild comb (sorry for earlier mis use of brace Combe) hadn't thought of that option.
 

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