Newbee Qu - should I use a brood and a half?

[Sleeches]

Afternoon

Am new to beekeeping so apologies for the daft questions...

Have just installed a colony from a nuc which has been doing well for a few weeks, so have added a super to give them more room. However given the relative age of the colony plus the gerneally crappy weather I'm not sure they will be able to fill a brood and a half plus fill a honey super on top so I've left the queen excluder between the two.

So - am I better off working with just one full brood box and honey supers or go for it with a brood and a half to give them a chance to get to a good critical mass?

Thanks in advance.

Mike

 

[Queens59]

Leave them as they are for now. In the weather giving them more space to heat etc will set them back and wear them out . If they need space later great - give it.

Oh, and welcome and good luck!

 

[Moggs]

Gauge the expansion, keeping one step in front of them. They need the warmth (especially in this diabolical summer of ours). Brood and a half may invite more debate around these parts I for one, have settled on 14 x 12 with good results.

Welcome to this wonderfully absorbing venture.

1....2....3....4.....

 

[VEG]

How many frames of brood are in the hive?
I presume the rest of the brood frames are foundation? if yes then I wouldnt have added the super untill all the frames were drawn out and at least 6/7 frames of brood in there.

 

[oliver90owner]

Welcome to the forum as a poster.

The 'half' refers to 'brooding' space; the super to honey storage. They are different and need different consideration. Little point in losing a swarm because the brood was totally cramped, even if there were multiple supers fitted.

Giving a super before the brood box is completely full is good. Bruising the stores frames in the brood box (to encourage the bees to move up the stores) is good. A brood box completely filled with brood may not be good (will depend on other observations at previous inspections). Many modern strains of bee are simply too prolific for a single deep brood box.

If you insist on a brood and a half, so be it; put the shallow underneath the deep if the deep is getting too full of brood. That way they will not have to contend with the extra space heating requirements while not running out of brooding space.

RAB

 

[Sleeches]

Thanks for the quick replies - all of the frames in the brood chamber have been drawn out to a large extent (the two end ones are bare on their outsides but doing well on the interior faces) so I think they need the extra room but the question is whether that extra room is a brood super or honey super.

What I really should do is have two colonies and compare but that's for next year....

This just confirms what the good people of ****** Bee Farm told me which is that I will get tons of good advice, it just may not be the same advice.

Cheers

 

[VEG]

You still havent said how many frames of brood there were it does help us to know so the answers are suited to your situation.

 

[Sleeches]

You still havent said how many frames of brood there were it does help us to know so the answers are suited to your situation.

The outer four frames were drawn but either empty or capped with stores - so I think 7 had brood in them. I will take another look in at the weekend (rain permitting) and see what progress is being made upstairs.

Thanks for your help.