Help Needed: Brood and a half problem

[MJBee]

Patience Cj.
They have not expanded out of the .5 for two reasons:-

1. There are not enough nurse bees to cover any more brood so build up is slow, but will speed up as more bees emerge and take up nurse duties.

2. They are staying in the warmest part of the hive - the top.

I would insulate above a solid crown board and leave them to it. You could remove the brood box but would have to keep a very close eye on available space in the .5 - swarm risk.

 

[cj_steeley]

Well....it's typical! I went down to my apiary today with a plan about what to do with that hive and it was all change!

I was gobsmacked to see a big patch of eggs and larvae on two frames in the brood box. They were definitely not there last week. Then....low and behold as i was looking around for the queen there she was sitting on my thumb!

Anyway, this queen has been notoriously difficult to see in the past so i marked her (first time i'd done this too).

Knowing i had her meant i could put the queen excluder on the BB and assume all the hatching that goes on in the super will be fine.

As well as this i stole a frame full of capped brood from a mega hive i have and put it into this hive in a hope that all the bees that hatch from this will help her cause. It also gave the big hive some room.

Have i done the right thing?

 

[Swarm]

Amazing what a little of that sunshine stuff can do Stirling work I'd say, on all counts. Well done!!