Honey in Brood Box

[Cars]

I picked up a swarm 5 or 6 weeks ago and put it on 14 x 12. I have a prolific layer and there are doing lots of collecting. However, they are storing all the honey in the brood box with nothing in the super. Is this because they are not ready to expand into a super yet, although there are a lot of them ! Or is there anything I can do to influence them. As ever, ideas would be very much appreciated

 

[Erichalfbee]

They might be preparing for winter
Are all the frames drawn?

 

[Cars]

There are drawn frames that I used last year, all quite new ones. I changed the super and frames a couple of weeks ago to see if that helped - still no change !

 

[Erichalfbee]

There are drawn frames that I used last year, all quite new ones. I changed the super and frames a couple of weeks ago to see if that helped - still no change !

No. I meant in the brood box. They will be filling the brood box with stores because that's where they want it for winter. Is there any space in that brood box? If so how much

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

if there were drawn frames in the brood box when they were put in there, the first thing they'd do is dump all the stuff they carried with them in there - they would then be free to forage until the queen got up to full laying speed.
Even with a prolific layer I think it's a bit ambitious at this time of year to expect them to need a super regardless of whether the brood frames were drawn or not.

 

[Cars]

The brood box frames were a mix of old and new foundation. They have quickly drawn out the foundation. I think I'll just leave them - maybe they'll need less Autumn feeding !

 

[For want of a better word]

The brood box frames were a mix of old and new foundation. They have quickly drawn out the foundation. I think I'll just leave them - maybe they'll need less Autumn feeding !

They will need 18kg of sugar if a strong colony,, so start feeding ASAP,, or you may find an empty or pitiful grist of bees next Spring.
Winter is inevitable!

Yeghes da

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Plenty of time before starting to think about feeding - it's only August for crying out loud!

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Plenty of time before starting to think about feeding - it's only August for crying out loud!

+1 and WHAT an August! Strongest flow of the year here.

 

[For want of a better word]

Plenty of time before starting to think about feeding - it's only August for crying out loud!

Shirley ALL the books say that a swarm will need feeding?
What other use is a swarm other than than to build up frames full of stores ready to make up food for the overwintering bees in 6 frame nucs?

Yeghes da

 

[bpmurray]

+1 and WHAT an August! Strongest flow of the year here.

It's been dead here for the past few weeks - I'm feeding and just waiting for the ivy to start filling up the empty frames. What are they bringing in?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

with me it's bramble. HB and heather amongst other things

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

It's been dead here for the past few weeks - I'm feeding and just waiting for the ivy to start filling up the empty frames. What are they bringing in?

I think mine might have found some heather on the Common. Worried about how to extract it if so but it's a "high-quality problem"... But there's other forage around. Still some ragwort, and masses of old man's beard. In fact it may be that not heather; will know soon enough. Old man's beard is huge at this time of year and pretty universal. ADD Although I see you might not have it in Ireland. Do you? "Clematis Vitalba".

 

[Finman]

.
I think that Cars has made some week assumptions.

Colony is now quite old. It should have now twice big as the swarm.

- How many frames it occupyed and how many box you gave to the colony?

It takes 4 weeks that the swarms starts to enlarge. Before emerging the swarm has lost 1/2 of its bees. But when the swarm started to lay?

What is profilic...
If the colony store honey into brood box, either colony is small or queen is not profilic.

- I bet that swarm has not been very big and it is not big even now. That is why one box is enough for brood and for honey.

If swarm has been big, but the colony has not grown, the queen is perhaps old and cannot lay any more.

I think that Super is too much to the colony. You may give honey frames to another hives that the colony gets space for brooding.
It is not time to collect winter food. A big amount of winter brood is more important.

.

 

[oliver90owner]

I perhaps need to read the thread more carefully but feeding a swarm is not necessay if they have sufficient income, and as for size - were we informed as to whether it was a prime or cast? Can make a big difference. Late August and I would be letting them get on with filling the brood box with brood or stores. Clearly they should not have a super added until they need it.

A case of assuming by some, instead of observing and acting accordingly.

Do remember that old saying where ''a swarm in July is not worth a fly''. Good reason for that generalisation. Think about why and all may be a little more obvious!

 

[Finman]

I perhaps need to read the thread more carefully but feeding a swarm is not necessay if they have sufficient income, and as for size - were we informed as to whether it was a prime or cast? Can make a big difference. Late August and I would be letting them get on with filling the brood box with brood or stores. Clearly they should not have a super added until they need it.!

Nothing wrong in feeding swarm with sugar. The colony needs lots of honey to draw combs.

That hive, which we are handling, is not any more a swarm. IT is a normal hive.

Actually we do not know, what kind of hive: How many percent brood in frames, how many frames honey. And what is in super: Are the frames covered with bees; perhaps in afternoon, but how in the morning.

Very often beginners are not able to describe the amount of brood, but it describes best the situation of the colony.

 

[BeeJayBee]

I picked up a swarm 5 or 6 weeks ago and put it on 14 x 12. I have a prolific layer and there are doing lots of collecting. However, they are storing all the honey in the brood box with nothing in the super. Is this because they are not ready to expand into a super yet, although there are a lot of them !

Colonies do not expand at this time of year, they decrease. Check out the graphs on Dave Cushman's site to learn more. http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/populationdynamics.html

Your swarm (developing colony) is unlikely to need the super this year, and should store enough food in the brood box to overwinter so take off the super, add a chunk of insulation beneath the roof and let them get on with sorting themselves out for autumn and winter. They'll already have noticed that the days are getting shorter.