Is it too early to add supers ?

[Hivemaker.]

I am bemused by he number of people who do 'this' or 'that' by dates

Dates come in quite useful when grafting,date done,date the cells emerge in incubator or otherwise,date mated queens removed from mating nuc's,date ripe cells or virgins put in...next date for swarm control in this or that apairy....dates do have there uses for sure. They taste nice as well.

 

[warts]

Amazing the differences with the various climates.

Just discussing this today with Julie and we think we have a very late Spring up here, in Norfolk the OSR was in some cases at 10% and ready for the bees, up here there is nothing showing yet.



PH

Interestingly, saw OSR in flower in Doncaster (well, north Notts really) at the weekend. Microclimates eh!

 

[Poly Hive]

Precisely.

PH

 

[Moggs]

I removed some frames of stores at the weekend and replaced with frames of drawn comb, leaving what I think will be sufficient food for them. Wall to wall brood if they want to. If they need more food, they will have to ask (like Oliver B Twist).

 

[Finman]

5 frames of brood and 5 of stores, didnt check again this weekend due to low temperatures in this area

In that case I would put 2 frames of stores upstairsi, 3 downstairs and the rest foundations. bees are able to draw 3 foundations in the heat of upstairs.

New box under the brood box. Bees take their own time to occupye the lower box and draw foundations.The hive does not seem to be quite big, because it has only 5 brood frames. It is not bursting.

 

[Dishmop]

The trick is to turn the stores into brood.

PH

last bloke who tried that didnt get treated to well.... or was it something into bread?

 

[Poly Hive]

It's easy to do if you know how.

PH

 

[tonybloke]

the osr in this part of norfolk ain't in flower yet

 

[wightbees]

I went past a few fields of osr today,starting to turn yellow. Not seen as much of it about as last yr though.

 

[psafloyd]

I had five frames of 50%-75% capped brood on both sides and the girls were going great guns.

Not concerned about lack of space as I added two new brood frames with foundation and there were two that weren't fully drawn from last year.

 

[the naked beekeeper]

It's easy to do if you know how.

PH

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Dumb question #87 - if a single frame has brood or stores covering most of one side but not the other does that count as 1 frame, or a half?

 

[MrB]

dates do have there uses for sure. They taste nice as well.

especially in a walnut cake

 

[johna]

Dumb question #87 - if a single frame has brood or stores covering most of one side but not the other does that count as 1 frame, or a half?

Half a frame

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Half a frame

thanks johna - the lack of people claiming 18 frames of brood made me suspect that was the case