How to go from two brood boxes to one

[Somersetdrone]

Somehow after merging colonies in April I ended up with 2 brood boxes. I can’t find the queen and there’s brood in both. What’s the best strategy, when and how, to get back to just one please. Also do people extract honey from brood frames ever? Thanks

 

[enrico]

Yes I take honey from brood frames but not when they have brood in them!
Just put a queen excluder in-between the boxes. Try and get the queen in the bottom box. If not, go in in four days and see where the eggs are. Swap the boxes if necessary. Give another opening above that qe or let the drones out occasionally. I try and sort the frames so food goes in the top box and brood in the bottom.
Or wait until next spring when the bottom brood box will be empty!
Ps where roughly are you in Somerset?
E

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Nothing wrong with extracting honey from frames that have had brood in previously.
If you want to reduce them to single brood without finding the queen, either just split the boxes and have them as two colonies (the half without a queen will raise emergency QC's)
or
Just put another queen excluder between the two boxes. In nine days, the box with the queen will have eggs and open brood, the other box just sealed brood.
If the Q+ box is the top one, just swap them over and have the QX over that (no need for the second now) and leave the brood in the top box emerge - the bees will backfill it with honey.

 

[Ian123]

Yes people extract from brood frames and the more important question is does the queen require 2 brood boxes, some of mine atm are on 3. So how many frames of brood are there. Ian

 

[Somersetdrone]

Thanks - good advice. I’ll check tomorrow and if there’s enough space in both I’ll take this option. Marston Magna - not far South of levels!

 

[Somersetdrone]

Thanks very much. I hadn’t thought so splitting into 2 colonies. I’ve got one other young colony which is probably enough for me right now.

 

[Somersetdrone]

I’ll check tomorrow! I think there’s enough space - if not I’ll wait til August??

 

[Ian123]

Yes simply wait and put the brood into a single box, most of mine will winter on singles even when they’ve been on 3 boxes during the season.

 

[citrus]

Yes simply wait and put the brood into a single box, most of mine will winter on singles even when they’ve been on 3 boxes during the season.

Thats interesting Ian ... so you are a fan of double brood but not overwinter ?

or does it 'depend' ?

 

[Ian123]

It depends you fit the box to the bees and they love being rammed! A few simple observations over the years, some caused by bad beekeeping or real life taking over. A packed box winters better I think finsky calls it vain space. There are no unattended corners boxes are drier and maintained. Packed boxes do not need mouse guards I simply don’t bother. Try that with a dbl box and with the colony in the top mice damp moves in. I also make a point of moving brood to the centre of the hive in the autumn in line with the front door. Observe a feral hive with many access points or a beek who’s not closed down the entrance wasps or other bees have robbed the outer frames or those not protected by the cluster. Inside the cluster all is normal outside has been emptied. Must admit it’s 1 reason I am not a fan of the recent trend for the nadir.

 

[Jimmy]

It depends you fit the box to the bees and they love being rammed! A few simple observations over the years, some caused by bad beekeeping or real life taking over. A packed box winters better I think finsky calls it vain space. There are no unattended corners boxes are drier and maintained.

My strongest colonies in the spring, irrespective of queen age and genetics, are often 6 frame polynucs. In my experience double brood nationals need less monitoring for stores in February-March but lag behind their rammed polynuc neighbours during spring build up.

 

[Ian123]

I’ve got to say I am proactive in keeping an eye on stores and I will feed late into the autumn. So it may not be the best idea for those that pack up early and a lot of hives are split in the mid autumn for nucs. As above I do find they can rattle about in big boxes and I don’t think that’s does them any favours.

 

[Paul_Ward1]

If you want to consolidate ‘quickly’ to one box, is it best to put all the brood frames into 1 box and remove and store / extract the excess frames of stores?

 

[ericbeaumont]

If you want to consolidate ‘quickly’ to one box, is it best to put all the brood frames into 1 box and remove and store / extract the excess frames of stores?

See JBM's post 3 above, but why do want to reduce to one box? Winter them on 2 and you won't need to feed.