Honey in brood box

[Hoggr20]

I undertook the Demaree method of swarm control this year, to great success the only issue I have is there was a large amount of honey deposited in the upper brood box as the brood hatched out. Now all the brood has hatched I’ve moved the brood box above the crown board with the hope that thay will move the honey into empty suppers below. This is not happening any ideas on how to encourage the bees to move the honey into the suppers?

 

[Boston Bees]

I undertook the Demaree method of swarm control this year, to great success the only issue I have is there was a large amount of honey deposited in the upper brood box as the brood hatched out. Now all the brood has hatched I’ve moved the brood box above the crown board with the hope that thay will move the honey into empty suppers below. This is not happening any ideas on how to encourage the bees to move the honey into the suppers?

Why not just extract it? Don't they fit in your extractor?

Bees never want to move honey downwards, it's against all their instincts.

Put the brood box with honey in right at the bottom of the hive. Bees don't want honey there so will move it upwards. Make sure they have lots of space in the supers to do so

 

[enrico]

I agree with Boston, but what a waste of effort getting them to move it. If you can possibly extract then do. Or keep for autumn feed!

 

[Finman]

Let the box become full and capped. Then extract.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Extract it. Then you have a box full of drawn brood frames.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I undertook the Demaree method of swarm control this year, to great success the only issue I have is there was a large amount of honey deposited in the upper brood box as the brood hatched out. Now all the brood has hatched I’ve moved the brood box above the crown board with the hope that thay will move the honey into empty suppers below. This is not happening any ideas on how to encourage the bees to move the honey into the suppers?

It's not going to happen - especially during a flow. With a Demarree, unless it's a poor season, the top brood box just becomes a deep honey super

 

[Erichalfbee]

It’s a good reason to make sure your spinner takes brood frames.

 

[blackcloud]

An embryonic thought- If a stores bound frame was put into an expanding brood nest they would perhaps need the space and move it up into the super?
Happens in springtime....

 

[ericbeaumont]

the hope that thay will move the honey into empty suppers below. This is not happening

Bees will only clear stores external to the nest when the nest contracts in autumn. Until at least 21 June - the summer solstice - they will continue to expand and will even put late-summer balsam and ivy nectar in boxes above a crownboard, so there's no chance that your textbook method will work. To manage bees effectively, think like a bee.

Let the box become full and capped. Then extract.

Extract it. Then you have a box full of drawn brood frames.

Do this instead.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

An embryonic thought- If a stores bound frame was put into an expanding brood nest they would perhaps need the space and move it up into the super?
Happens in springtime....

but then you are negating the effect of the Demarre

 

[blackcloud]

Yes ,very true.

 

[Finman]

Is same as you have a capped honey box.
The advice will be, that put the box under the brood box , bees will move the honey to upper box.

And you just took the capped frame from upp to down. Amazing!

When bees move syrup from a feeding to combs and they cap the food, the original sugar looses 24% out of its weigh in the process.

You cannot imagine, how much the yield will reduce in moving process.

 

[elainemary]

Bees will only clear stores external to the nest when the nest contracts in autumn. Until at least 21 June - the summer solstice - they will continue to expand and will even put late-summer balsam and ivy nectar in boxes above a crownboard, so there's no chance that your textbook method will work. To manage bees effectively, think like a bee.



Do this instead.

I have a similar situation, though a double brood on 16 frames. I moved the colony to double brood a couple of weeks ago, adding extra foundation. Last inspection they had a super getting full and another 1/2 full. Checked last night, both supers completely full. Top one completely capped, bottom not capped yet.

6 brood foundation / fairly new drawn frames all drawn out and 5 are full of honey rather than brood!. The colony is on10 frames of brood, white queen and absolutely no signs of swarming…yet. Amazed.

Not had a crop like this before, as not in an agricultural area, but this is a new site is in the lee of a massive horse chestnut tree and mature hawthornes. Can guess what’s in the frames…tastes v nice.
Lots of lovely red (horse chestnut) and other coloured pollen. Having no experience of horse chestnut no idea how long the flow will last. The icing on the cake is it’s very close to a massive garden centre and is set in 20 acres of mature woodland & 2 acres mature gardens. Thought it might be a good site!!!

Has caught me out re super management. This new site has 6 mature huge lime trees just coming into flower (again never had these trees anywhere near my apiary) & have no experience whether they will yield well. Have heard they are fickle especially in my climate.
And it’s forecast to be cool next 10 days (West Yorkshire)

I plan to take the fully capped super off asap and add a other box of super foundation, or maybe two!?

Would you move the 5 drawn brood frames full of uncapped honey out of the nest and put these above the supers so they cap next? And replace with more foundation in the nest. It’s gonna be a tower, glad I’m quite tall, though I need to manage things better as don’t want to be lifting huge high weights off on my own!


Advice appreciated please

 

[Finman]

need to manage things better as don’t want to be lifting huge high weights off on my own!


Advice appreciated please

Giving fondations is very important in good honey flow. It hinders swarming fever.


Change your goals so, that getting honey is the first goal. Then lifting full frames and boxes feel much more interesting.

To sell all those honey is painfull. So donate honeys to poor families then.

 

[ericbeaumont]

move the 5 drawn brood frames full of uncapped honey out of the nest and put these above the supers so they cap next?

Yes, treat the BB as a super. If weight is an issue, take frames out individually and transfer to an empty box in a barrow.

 

[Finman]

It is strange, that when honey is already in the hive, and you have difficulties to know, what tl do with it. Some kind of intellectual challenge.

One guy once wondered in the forum:" what is that glimmering stuff in brood combs. Why bees are doing that to me?".

 

[enrico]

I have a similar situation, though a double brood on 16 frames. I moved the colony to double brood a couple of weeks ago, adding extra foundation. Last inspection they had a super getting full and another 1/2 full. Checked last night, both supers completely full. Top one completely capped, bottom not capped yet.

6 brood foundation / fairly new drawn frames all drawn out and 5 are full of honey rather than brood!. The colony is on10 frames of brood, white queen and absolutely no signs of swarming…yet. Amazed.

Not had a crop like this before, as not in an agricultural area, but this is a new site is in the lee of a massive horse chestnut tree and mature hawthornes. Can guess what’s in the frames…tastes v nice.
Lots of lovely red (horse chestnut) and other coloured pollen. Having no experience of horse chestnut no idea how long the flow will last. The icing on the cake is it’s very close to a massive garden centre and is set in 20 acres of mature woodland & 2 acres mature gardens. Thought it might be a good site!!!

Has caught me out re super management. This new site has 6 mature huge lime trees just coming into flower (again never had these trees anywhere near my apiary) & have no experience whether they will yield well. Have heard they are fickle especially in my climate.
And it’s forecast to be cool next 10 days (West Yorkshire)

I plan to take the fully capped super off asap and add a other box of super foundation, or maybe two!?

Would you move the 5 drawn brood frames full of uncapped honey out of the nest and put these above the supers so they cap next? And replace with more foundation in the nest. It’s gonna be a tower, glad I’m quite tall, though I need to manage things better as don’t want to be lifting huge high weights off on my own!


Advice appreciated please

As far as the lime trees go, the flowers take ages to go from small pin pricks to open and I doubt they will be yielding for about three weeks yet. They yield best when the ground is moist and the air is humid. If there are enough trees the yield can be huge and give a light mild honey with a green tinge that never sets. But ... The conditions do need to be right. Mine have drawn and filled a super in a week on a good flow and all hives will do that. The trees buzz like swarms!
E

 

[Moobee]

I have a similar situation, though a double brood on 16 frames. I moved the colony to double brood a couple of weeks ago, adding extra foundation. Last inspection they had a super getting full and another 1/2 full. Checked last night, both supers completely full. Top one completely capped, bottom not capped yet.

6 brood foundation / fairly new drawn frames all drawn out and 5 are full of honey rather than brood!. The colony is on10 frames of brood, white queen and absolutely no signs of swarming…yet. Amazed.

Not had a crop like this before, as not in an agricultural area, but this is a new site is in the lee of a massive horse chestnut tree and mature hawthornes. Can guess what’s in the frames…tastes v nice.
Lots of lovely red (horse chestnut) and other coloured pollen. Having no experience of horse chestnut no idea how long the flow will last. The icing on the cake is it’s very close to a massive garden centre and is set in 20 acres of mature woodland & 2 acres mature gardens. Thought it might be a good site!!!

Has caught me out re super management. This new site has 6 mature huge lime trees just coming into flower (again never had these trees anywhere near my apiary) & have no experience whether they will yield well. Have heard they are fickle especially in my climate.
And it’s forecast to be cool next 10 days (West Yorkshire)

I plan to take the fully capped super off asap and add a other box of super foundation, or maybe two!?

Would you move the 5 drawn brood frames full of uncapped honey out of the nest and put these above the supers so they cap next? And replace with more foundation in the nest. It’s gonna be a tower, glad I’m quite tall, though I need to manage things better as don’t want to be lifting huge high weights off on my own!


Advice appreciated please

Could you rotate capped frames out, shake off bees and replace with drawn or foundation? Might save your back….. you just need a nice beetight box to put into as you take off.

 

[elainemary]

As far as the lime trees go, the flowers take ages to go from small pin pricks to open and I doubt they will be yielding for about three weeks yet. They yield best when the ground is moist and the air is humid. If there are enough trees the yield can be huge and give a light mild honey with a green tinge that never sets. But ... The conditions do need to be right. Mine have drawn and filled a super in a week on a good flow and all hives will do that. The trees buzz like swarms!
E

Thanks, plenty of damp in the soil, just need the temperatures to lift! Exciting!

 

[ericbeaumont]

glimmering stuff in brood combs

Gold! There's gold in them thar combs!