Need advice on space

[Snowmonkey]

Hi,

My first post, though I have picked up lots of advice on here!

We got our bees at the end of May, a nuc with a mated queen. They are in a national hive with a deep brood box and one super. Our aim this year was simply to get them established and through winter. The colony has expanded and seems to be doing well. My query is around space.

At last inspection, on Sunday, the super had stores on all but one side of one frame, with about 60-70% capped, the rest I assume being nectar still being processed by the bees.

In the brood box there is capped brood on a number of frames and visible larvae with pollen and stores round them. We are not good at spotting eggs!

Should I be worried that with virtually no room left in the super, the bees will fill the brood box with more stores and limit the queen's egg laying? We have a spare super but the bees would need to draw out the foundation and I know this will take a lot of food and energy. Equally I know egg-laying should start slowing at some point soon.

I would be grateful for advice

thanks

 

[alldigging]

Hi,


In the brood box there is capped brood on a number of frames and visible larvae with pollen and stores round them. We are not good at spotting eggs!

There will be a frame with what looks like empty cells somewhere in the brood nest - not at the edge.

Get a magnifying glass (£shop do them) and a torch (ditto)

For a reminder:

 

[Snowmonkey]

There will be a frame with what looks like empty cells somewhere in the brood nest - not at the edge.

Get a magnifying glass (£shop do them) and a torch (ditto)

For a reminder:

Thanks alldigging. I will pick up a magnifying glass before our next inspection

 

[alldigging]

And as for space - can you add another super?

 

[Snowmonkey]

Yes I have a spare super that could be added, though as I said it is new foundation so they would have to draw it out

 

[Erichalfbee]

Have you got a spinner?
Spin a couple of frames out and give them back to the bees. See what they do with them. Or are you thinking of leaving the stores on for the bees

 

[Snowmonkey]

Have you got a spinner?
Spin a couple of frames out and give them back to the bees. See what they do with them. Or are you thinking of leaving the stores on for the bees

We weren't planning to try to harvest any honey this year, and we have extraction kit yet so I don't think that is an option for us

 

[Snowmonkey]

We weren't planning to try to harvest any honey this year, and we have extraction kit yet so I don't think that is an option for us

Sorry that should have been we have no extraction kit ....

 

[wightbees]

Spoon and scraping back to mid rib into bowl then sieve, will give you some honey and little work to keep them busy!

 

[Snowmonkey]

Spoon and scraping back to mid rib into bowl then sieve, will give you some honey and little work to keep them busy!

Well I have to admit it would be nice to try a tiny bit of honey this year but we were resigned to leaving it to get the bees through winter. I am sorry if it is a daft question, where is the mid rib?

 

[Erichalfbee]

The foundation.

 

[cinnamon]

I'm a newbie too but I think he means where the foundation used to be. Bees will have drawn comb on either side of the foundation, making the foundation the "mid rib". So if you scrape it back to where the foundation used to be without going to the other side and thus creating a hole, the bees should be able to repair the scraped bit and refill it with honey.

Again, I'm guessing that's what he meant... I might be totally off

 

[Snowmonkey]

Thank you �� So if we remove a couple of frames and extract the honey manually, we should just replace those frames rather than give them a couple of need frames to work on?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Thank you �� So if we remove a couple of frames and extract the honey manually, we should just replace those frames rather than give them a couple of need frames to work on?

Yep
Put them back in the middle
If you're leaving the super on take the excluder off

 

[Snowmonkey]

Yep
Put them back in the middle
If you're leaving the super on take the excluder off

Many thanks to all for the advice. We will extract 2 frames manually as suggested and replace the frames

 

[alldigging]

Thank you �� So if we remove a couple of frames and extract the honey manually, we should just replace those frames rather than give them a couple of need frames to work on?

Or ask about if anyone will lend you a spinner for an afternoon.
There's plenty of time to feed them up if there's nothing coming in.

We have balsam ghost bees now though so they will be bringing plenty in here.

 

[Snowmonkey]

Or ask about if anyone will lend you a spinner for an afternoon.
There's plenty of time to feed them up if there's nothing coming in.

We have balsam ghost bees now though so they will be bringing plenty in here.

Thanks, we are members of our local beekeeping association so they may be able to help with the short term loan of a spinner

 

[colinc]

Thanks, we are members of our local beekeeping association so they may be able to help with the short term loan of a spinner

Just a point, if you are only removing 2 frames the spinner may plaster a fair share of that onto its walls. If you get a spinner, personally I would remove a couple more.


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[Snowmonkey]

Just a point, if you are only removing 2 frames the spinner may plaster a fair share of that onto its walls. If you get a spinner, personally I would remove a couple more.


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OK thanks. In my inexperienced state I would feel a little uncomfortable removing 4 frames at this stage, given that we were originally thinking we would leave everything for the bees this year. Are they likely to have the time to rebuild their stores ready for winter if we took that much out now?

I really appreciate everyone's thoughts and advice!

 

[colinc]

Others may be better able to advise on this. My BS national hives all went double brood this year and so I will not leave supers and will allow them to store where they like from now until the end of the year. The boxes are heavy 20+kg each so they will be fine as I won't rob them blind for a crop to replace it with syrup. Last year I used brood and a half and nadired them in September but removed all capped honey. They did fine with that probably 3/4 full and none capped. But I did feed fondant from late February in a mild spell though they didn't really tuck into it until mid April.
Hoping I don't need to feed at all this winter although forecasts are for a wet cool August and thy will be that but the forecasts have been woeful this year. Late August and September is when they hit the ivy and most beeks don't like ivy honey and will leave it for the bees.

guess we have to wait and see again...


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