No laying space

[lebouche]

Hi,
Only small patches of brood in both my hives. I don't have any empty comb. Am worried they have too much store wise. What can I do to make more room for queenie?

 

[enrico]

Take a couple of store frames out and give her a couple of drawn ones
E

 

[lebouche]

Take a couple of store frames out and give her a couple of drawn ones
E

I don't have any drawn frames…OK, one mouldy nasty really old one I wouldn't want to put in...

 

[itma]

That does sound like excess stores!

Remove one or more frames.
If you have the technology, extract them. (This may determine how many you pull.)
If you don't have access to a suitable extractor, since you have zero laying space, I'd chuck in a drawn shallow (with hoffmans) next to the brood nest, if you have one.
Failing that, its a frame of foundation. (And I'd top up the insulation if asking them to draw wax.)

 

[itma]

Hi,
Only small patches of brood in both my hives. I don't have any empty comb. Am worried they have too much store wise. What can I do to make more room for queenie?

Changed floor on one hive, took two full frames of stores and transferred to nut.
Moved the nuc into a polyhive and dummied down. Lifted several frames together so not to break them apart. Took fondant off them both as they both have more stores than needed now. The strong colony is still on 6 frames of stores with only small patches of brood. Put out three bait hives.

Slightly different story in the other thread!

Six frames of stores is indeed excessive.
However, it isn't panic stations.

You have been six frames of stores, and still had fondant as well?
More hefting practice needed! A luggage scale might be a sensible investment to permit hive weighing.

Putting out bait hives at this point is either wildly optimistic, or wildly pessimistic. I'm just not sure which!

 

[Roola]

That does sound like excess stores!

Remove one or more frames.
If you have the technology, extract them. (This may determine how many you pull.)
If you don't have access to a suitable extractor, since you have zero laying space, I'd chuck in a drawn shallow (with hoffmans) next to the brood nest, if you have one.
Failing that, its a frame of foundation. (And I'd top up the insulation if asking them to draw wax.)

i'm in the same boat on one of my hives, too many stores and no drawn spare comb to offer. I have plenty of shallows, do you think one of those will help them out a bit if I swap out one of the deeps? I'm not massively keen on getting the extractor out for just 2 frames extraction with all the mess etc...

 

[Erichalfbee]

Take a deep breath and just get on with extracting those frames. Better deep than shallow.

 

[klisic]

Hi,
Only small patches of brood in both my hives. I don't have any empty comb. Am worried they have too much store wise. What can I do to make more room for queenie?

Think about db this year then no need to worry about room for queen to lay. As with db you should end up with top bb full of stores and bottom ready for expansion !!

 

[Roola]

Take a deep breath and just get on with extracting those frames. Better deep than shallow.

I thought someone would say that lol! darn bees were far too frugal this winter! wish you could just decap the frames and let the honey drain!!! grrr

how many full frames of stores do you think i should leave them?

 

[pargyle]

Think about db this year then no need to worry about room for queen to lay. As with db you should end up with top bb full of stores and bottom ready for expansion !!

Doesn't that rather depend on the size of the colony ? Too much space for them over winter could surely give you more problems with less chance to correct matters ?

 

[lebouche]

Think about db this year then no need to worry about room for queen to lay. As with db you should end up with top bb full of stores and bottom ready for expansion !!

Hi I'm on 14x12.
ITMA, not sure what is different about the story but v tired!
Fondant feeding obviously a misjudgement but I have no reference for hefting.
I don't have an extractor. I could uncap a comb and wash out the syrup/honey?
If I was to put foundation in (I'm mostly foundation less) then I imagine it would go in the middle of the brood nest?
I read there might be swarms early so am wildly optimistic. Think I have several hobbyist geeks nearby who don't keep the swarms in check.

 

[BKF Admin]

Do you have another colony ? (Number of hives 2)
Swap empty frames for the stored frames if you do.

 

[lebouche]

Do you have another colony ? (Number of hives 2)
Swap empty frames for the stored frames if you do.

Yes, I have a smaller colony which I have just given two frames of stores. They are only on a few frames so don't have enough to spare. Thanks for the idea though.

 

[user 6228]

Doesn't that rather depend on the size of the colony ? Too much space for them over winter could surely give you more problems with less chance to correct matters ?

increased external surface area(or contained volume) below the level of the bees doesnt increase heat loss. Broodless and with abundant stores they are free to adjust their position according to temperature and humidity preference.

 

[wightbees]

Scrap the wax capping and the bees will eat the stores.

 

[beeno]

Hi I'm on 14x12.
ITMA, not sure what is different about the story but v tired!
Fondant feeding obviously a misjudgement but I have no reference for hefting.
I don't have an extractor. I could uncap a comb and wash out the syrup/honey?
If I was to put foundation in (I'm mostly foundation less) then I imagine it would go in the middle of the brood nest?
I read there might be swarms early so am wildly optimistic. Think I have several hobbyist geeks nearby who don't keep the swarms in check.

He lebouche,
I would not break up the brood nest this time of the year!

 

[lebouche]

Thanks Beeno.

 

[lebouche]

Actually, thanks all. I'll scrape some caps off the centre of the store frames next visit then.

 

[itma]

If you have 6 frames of stores in a national, that means you have 5 frames of either brood or brood-space. I doubt you have 5 frames of brood just yet ...
I repeat, the stores may be excessive, but what is described isn't a panic situation for March 10th!

Hefting - you have the chance right now to get familiar with what your hive feels like when it is half-full with stores ...
I strongly suggest getting a luggage scale and giving your hive floor an attachment point on each side. Just lift enough so that it is unstuck. Add the two side weights for the totalhive weight. IMHO a digital scale is way better, and should still cost under a tenner. (Comes in handy at holiday time too.) If you do it now, you'll have an idea of the actual hive weight when half full ... Much better to watch the weight through the season rather than think it is only a winter thing - just weigh it twice when you add or remove supers -- once before the change, once after the change (so you know what you have added or removed).

 

[beeno]

QUOTE=itma;398344]If you have 6 frames of stores in a national, that means you have 5 frames of either brood or brood-space. I doubt you have 5 frames of brood just yet ...
I repeat, the stores may be excessive, but what is described isn't a panic situation for March 10th!
[/QUOTE]


Many newbies are being paranoid about stores at the moment and I can understand that. My bees if anything had less going into winter this year than the year before. Totally different scenarios though nothing to do with the beek. Last season vigorous swarms lots of winter bees. This year two old queens and two supercedures and one emergency queen. Half the amount of winter bees thereof larger store levels. Presently, I have a cupboard full of fondant not needed, but things will change no doubt! I have come to the conclusion that one cannot tell which colony is going to come out strong or weak! One hive has gone into a nuc and one nuc will have to go into hive next couple of weeks. They keep you busy don't they! Have fun!