Is this how we get brood and a half?

[BeeKeyPlayer]

I've been removing 'nadired' supers - the first season I've done this. Most have empty combs with few bees. But some have brood and lots of bees. So I've put them above the QE and (because I'm worried about the queen being in that box) shaken the bees down into the brood box. All very messy. I'm not worried about there being brood in the 'super' until they emerge, but I can see that if you just put the shallow above the brood box and didn't take steps to ensure the queen was in the lower box with a QE in place, you would then have brood and a half - no matter that this was never in your plan.

Also, because I've got drones (drone foundation, so what would you expect) emerging in one shallow, I'll have to make an upper entrance, or expose a corner for them to get out.

 

[Swarm]

You would find out which box she is in next inspection, if you find eggs in the super just a matter of finding her and put her in the deep. What was the brood situation in the deep? Rather than reduce her laying space, perhaps it would be prudent to give her another brood box.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

as l

Also, because I've got drones (drone foundation, so what would you expect) emerging in one shallow, I'll have to make an upper entrance, or expose a corner for them to get out

as long as you inspect every week and give them time to exit when you lift off the super to inspect you'll be fine.
Another drawback to using drone foundation in supers (You'd have to scrape around to find any advantages)

 

[ericbeaumont]

some have brood and lots of bees.

prudent to give her another brood box.

I agree.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

You would find out which box she is in next inspection, if you find eggs in the super just a matter of finding her and put her in the deep. What was the brood situation in the deep? Rather than reduce her laying space, perhaps it would be prudent to give her another brood box.

That would have been much neater, to check for eggs next week.

Yes, there were lots of bees and brood, so I did put on another brood box in these two instances.

 

[enrico]

That would have been much neater, to check for eggs next week.

Yes, there were lots of bees and brood, so I did put on another brood box in these two instances.

If you put the new brood box between the old one with brood and the shallow one with brood and it was undrawn foundation you may have a problem. I would put it under the old brood box for the moment and swap it when the super is empty of brood

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

If you put the new brood box between the old one with brood and the shallow one with brood and it was undrawn foundation you may have a problem. I would put it under the old brood box for the moment and swap it when the super is empty of brood

Noted. Thanks for that.

 

[Swarm]

When adding another box, I always pull two or three central brood frames up and add the foundations around the new nest shape. I find a box (of foundation) added below is all too often ignored, even to the point they charge cells and prepare to swarm rather than move down. The temperature probably isn't warm enough to encourage them from the upper brood area yet.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

When adding another box, I always pull two or three central brood frames up and add the foundations around the new nest shape. I find a box (of foundation) added below is all too often ignored, even to the point they charge cells and prepare to swarm rather than move down. The temperature probably isn't warm enough to encourage them from the upper brood area yet.

I read about this in Dan Basterfield's articles in BeeCraft some time ago - making a tear-shaped nest with a few brood frames taken out of the bottom box into the new upper box. The next few weeks will be interesting for me.

 

[Swarm]

Keeping a few central frames in the upper box free of any honey arc helps to prevent the downward pressure and keeps them looking up. You can do this by swapping them with frames from below or by swapping the boxes around.