Honey in brood chamber

[Charlie19]

I inspected the hive a couple of days ago and noticed that there's a lot of honey stored in the brood chamber. I'm assuming this is because I've left it too late to add on another super. I'm worried that the queen doesn't have enough space to lay. I've read that replacing 2-3 frames of honey and replace with foundation. Is this the best thing to do

 

[YorkshireBees]

I inspected the hive a couple of days ago and noticed that there's a lot of honey stored in the brood chamber. I'm assuming this is because I've left it too late to add on another super. I'm worried that the queen doesn't have enough space to lay. I've read that replacing 2-3 frames of honey and replace with foundation. Is this the best thing to do

Have you already added another super? Drawn or foundation?

In terms of replacing the combs of honey with foundation it's not really giving the queen any laying space is it?!?

If you had drawn comb then that would be ideal but I guess you don't.

If the honey is not sealed the bees will use it or move it given space above.
If it's sealed, scoring the cappings is meant to encourage them to move it.

Personally I would rather over super as for every 1 super of honey the bees require at least another super to store and process the nectar!

At the moment I have some colonies with between 3 and 5 supers on but only the top super is full of honey. Still every super is full of bees and varioud amounts of nectar!

 

[Finman]

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Give to the give box of brood foundations. You will need them.

 

[Erichalfbee]

IF your hive is strong you can put a frame of foundation in the middle of the brood. The bees will draw it straightaway and the queen will lay it up. This is also a good way to get winter bees later in the season. Remove an outside frame of stores and pop it in the freezer for later use.

 

[bontbee]

What size is your freezer, ericA?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I have a dedicated chest freezer

 

[yeogi75]

is it full coombs of honey or is there brood in the middle of coomb, how many brood frames are full of honey

 

[Finman]

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I use 3 brood boxes in each hive and no excluder.
Just now I made a deal with farmer. 20 hectares spring rape started to Bloom. I hope that my all brood boxes will be filled with nectar.

 

[Charlie19]

The honey is uncapped. I'd say there are 4 frames that are nearly all uncapped honey. With very little brood on the periphery. The super I have in there now is mostly foundation but they've drawn quite a bit of it. I'm planning to add another super on Friday. I'm just waiting on foundation to come available.

 

[yeogi75]

the first thing I would do is look for the queen or eggs, my thought is that it has swarmed or queen dead ,or virgin not returned and the bees are starting to fill with stores , can you confirm there is a queen .

 

[Charlie19]

The queen is there along with eggs and brood.

 

[Finman]

The queen is there along with eggs and brood.

Give more brood frames as foundations. Listen my experience.
If there is lack of laying space, then give more laying space.. Simple.

If bees have nectar flow on, they do not move honey anywhere. You see what they are doing and they continue that way.

The end will be such that the hive swarms without warning if you do not handle the situation and fast.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Give more brood frames as foundations. Listen my experience.
If there is lack of laying space, then give more laying space.. Simple.

If bees have nectar flow on, they do not move honey anywhere. You see what they are doing and they continue that way.

The end will be such that the hive swarms without warning if you do not handle the situation and fast.

Finman is right. I might not agree that the colony needs a whole new brood box but adding a super to one not fully drawn is crazy.
The queen needs space to lay. Giving the colony yet another super will not do that

 

[Finman]

Finman is right. I might not agree that the colony needs a whole new brood box but adding a super to one not fully drawn is crazy.
The queen needs space to lay. Giving the colony yet another super will not do that

When flow is over, he may lift another brood box over the excluder and them collect all honey brood fames to it.

 

[Charlie19]

Ok thanks for the tips. How many new frames with foundation can I put in that's manageable for the bees. Thanks

 

[Finman]

Ok thanks for the tips. How many new frames with foundation can I put in that's manageable for the bees. Thanks

One box more. But if you have ready combs, use them too.