NOT Checkerboarding/Chequerboarding

[Vanterrier]

This has been discussed recently here
Thread 'Adding undrawn supers' https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/adding-undrawn-supers.56874/
but could I ask for clarity as there seems to be two arrangements being discussed...
Single Super - alternating filled comb with empty or just foundation in the same super
And
Two Supers stacked - assume new and empty super below a part filled super where frames are chequered between supers Above and below.
Is that correct or is one of these a no-no?
K

 

[Vanterrier]

Is it Checkered or Chequered?
More like bloody Chess!
K

 

[Eyeman]

Walt Wright’s series of articles are worth a read. Bit dogmatic but some good original thoughts on beekeeping. A lot of what some of our contemporary ‘beemasters’ write comes from Walt’s teachings.
https://www.beesource.com/threads/walt-wright.365657/

 

[Antipodes]

Walt Wright’s series of articles are worth a read. Bit dogmatic but some good original thoughts on beekeeping. A lot of what some of our contemporary ‘beemasters’ write comes from Walt’s teachings.
https://www.beesource.com/threads/walt-wright.365657/

My understanding is that Walt's version is the "authentic" and original (proper ) checkerboarding. I haven't looked at it lately, but must again.

 

[Antipodes]

Walt Wright’s series of articles are worth a read. Bit dogmatic but some good original thoughts on beekeeping. A lot of what some of our contemporary ‘beemasters’ write comes from Walt’s teachings.
https://www.beesource.com/threads/walt-wright.365657/

I'm just reading his "Evils of the Double Deep" from your link. Plenty of interesting reading for me ahead. Thanks Eyeman

 

[Vanterrier]

Interesting link but I think his checkerboarding is more to do with Swarm Control whereas the chequerboarding I'm asking about is to do with filling up Supers quickly...
Tbh my bees seemed to ignore the foundation frames placed between part filled frames
K

 

[emoclewbee]

I am not sure I understand your question.
It seems to me you are asking if alternating foundation frames with drawn frames will get the bees to draw them faster then just putting one full box of drawn and one full box of foundation?
Maybe I took you up wrong.

In any case they tend not to draw foundation in supers until they need the space. They will fill the drawn comb first.
When there is a heavy flow, if you check after a week it will appear they have filled the drawn comb and drawn out the foundation at the same time. Perhaps it is simultaneous rather than sequential then, I don't know but I doubt it matters much from a practical point of view.

I doubt how you put the frames on matter they will fill them as they need them and draw them as they need them.
Put them on when they need them and hope for a good flow and good weather.

 

[Vanterrier]

Thanks for that, I was wondering if when I have an almost full super And am about to add another new one, if it was worthwhile moving some of the part filled frames into the empty super to encourage faster fill?
K

 

[Vanterrier]

I took the full super off this morning... 17% reading on my refractometer. My first Honey after a tricky year...
Happy me
K

 

[Antipodes]

Interesting link but I think his checkerboarding is more to do with Swarm Control whereas the chequerboarding I'm asking about is to do with filling up Supers quickly...
Tbh my bees seemed to ignore the foundation frames placed between part filled frames
K

I personally think that calling what you are doing "checkerboarding" probably confuses things? It's certainly no big deal of course, but when I hear someone mention checkerboarding I straight away think of it as the swarm mitigation manipulation - Walt Wright the main early proponent and the person with whom I associate it.

 

[Antipodes]

I took the full super off this morning... 17% reading on my refractometer. My first Honey after a tricky year...
Happy me
K

Perfect

 

[Vanterrier]

Apologies if I have misappropriated an existing term for what I was asking about. I picked the term up from this thread which in the first post described what I am asking about.
Thread 'Adding undrawn supers' https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/adding-undrawn-supers.56874/
"Alternating full/empty frames" might have been more accurate?
Anyway, it didn't seem to work for me.
When I removed the "full" super, a couple of the empty frames I had substituted earlier remained mostly untouched so I swapped the full frames back from the super I had added to complete my Full super.
K

 

[ericbeaumont]

assume new and empty super below a part filled super where frames are chequered between supers Above and below

I think I see what you mean, but if you alternate foundation and drawn comb in one box, bees will either do as you discovered (nothing to the foundation) or increase the width of the drawn and not bother too much with the foundation.

The latter is a nuisance because any two adjacent pairs will not be drawn straight, but handed (matched) and will only fit in the box in the same order. After extraction, you must saw the wide combs level and hope that bees then build the box evenly; I found life easier when foundation was given in one box, and drawn in another.

 

[Vanterrier]

Yes thats pretty much what I found... you have to try these things to know.
K

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I personally think that calling what you are doing "checkerboarding" probably confuses things? It's certainly no big deal of course, but when I hear someone mention checkerboarding I straight away think of it as the swarm mitigation

but many of us here know exactly what it means and wouldn't even imagine it's a form of swarm control.

 

[Antipodes]

but many of us here know exactly what it means and wouldn't even imagine it's a form of swarm control.

It could be just an Americanism?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkerboarding_(beekeeping)

 

[Vanterrier]

Ah but that's Checkerboarding... I'm talking about Chequerboarding
K

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I didn't realise that Walt Disney kept bees anyway!

 

[Darryl]

I didn't realise that Walt Disney kept bees anyway!

He didn't take beekeeping seriously though - just a Mickey Mouse operation .....

 

[Erichalfbee]

He didn't take beekeeping seriously though - just a Mickey Mouse operation .....

Thank god for our sense of humour. I love it. This forum is the best!