Overwintering with double brood boxes

[Norfolk]

I have heard one or two folks saying that they overwinter with a double brood.
So assuming you have a single deep brood with a couple of supers and you want to add the extra brood with drawn frames.

Where do you put it ?

On top or under the box with the Queen & brood.

I'm thinking under but what do you do ?

 

[yeogi75]

personally I have started on double brood when two years old, lots of bees to fill box and half

 

[Amari]

I have heard one or two folks saying that they overwinter with a double brood.
So assuming you have a single deep brood with a couple of supers and you want to add the extra brood with drawn frames.

Where do you put it ?

On top or under the box with the Queen & brood.

I'm thinking under but what do you do ?

I can't see the point especially if the drawn frames are empty of stores = dead space which has to be heated.

 

[Norfolk]

I can't see the point especially if the drawn frames are empty of stores = dead space which has to be heated.

I've never done it myself but some do and I wondered what the theory was.

 

[yeogi75]

too late now to do anything, keep on single brood put solid board on top and put supers on top for storage only, not for bees if not on now leave well alone

 

[Norfolk]

too late now to do anything, keep on single brood put solid board on top and put supers on top for storage only, not for bees if not on now leave well alone

Maybe I'm not being clear.
This was a theoretical question about something that I have heard that some folks do rather than something I'm planning on doing myself.

 

[REDWOOD]

I have heard one or two folks saying that they overwinter with a double brood.
So assuming you have a single deep brood with a couple of supers and you want to add the extra brood with drawn frames.

Where do you put it ?

On top or under the box with the Queen & brood.

I'm thinking under but what do you do ?

I have never needed to double brood on 14x12 frames

 

[klisic]

Maybe I'm not being clear.
This was a theoretical question about something that I have heard that some folks do rather than something I'm planning on doing myself.

Db all the time for me. Best thing is to build your hive up from bottom, bb then supers. This year I let them work into second bb then banged on 4 supers along the way. I then took off all supers extracted and left them on db. Top bb had honey capped in every frame, more than enough for over winter. Way to go if you ask me, as quicker spring build up !!!

 

[Norfolk]

Db all the time for me. Best thing is to build your hive up from bottom, bb then supers. This year I let them work into second bb then banged on 4 supers along the way. I then took off all supers extracted and left them on db. Top bb had honey capped in every frame, more than enough for over winter. Way to go if you ask me, as quicker spring build up !!!

That makes perfect sense to me, the impression I got was that some folds add a brood box just for the winter.

 

[klisic]

That makes perfect sense to me, the impression I got was that some folds add a brood box just for the winter.

No do it for spring expansion then watch them take off. Means double the bees double the foraging force = more honey !!

 

[BeeJayBee]

... the impression I got was that some folds add a brood box just for the winter.

I've heard of people adding a lower box to make the upper box and any stores further from the entrance, to deter mice. The lower box will be colder, less attractive. It also means there's less air disturbance higher up, so the upper box stays warmer.

 

[klisic]

I've heard of people adding a lower box to make the upper box and any stores further from the entrance, to deter mice. The lower box will be colder, less attractive. It also means there's less air disturbance higher up, so the upper box stays warmer.

That's another good point so win win situation !!!!

 

[Norfolk]

I've heard of people adding a lower box to make the upper box and any stores further from the entrance, to deter mice. The lower box will be colder, less attractive. It also means there's less air disturbance higher up, so the upper box stays warmer.

Could be that is what they were referring to, thanks.

 

[Luminos]

How does it deter mice?

 

[Norfolk]

How does it deter mice?

My guess is that it wouldn't, although I can see it providing a little more shelter for the cluster which can only be a good thing.

As winter approached I used to leave a super on and move the excluder up one layer so the Queen & cluster had access to the brood box and the relatively full super during the winter.
It would often mess the super up but nothing that bothered me.

 

[Hivemaker.]

It would often mess the super up but nothing that bothered me.

How would it mess the super up.

 

[masterBK]

If you go down the artificial swarm (or snelgrove route) of swarm control and don't really want the exponential increase in colony numbers that results from this then you can winter on Double brood by uniting the AS back to the original hive in late August (retaining the youngest or best queen). This means less feeding needed for winter and less expense on Varroa treatment. Bigger colonies for winter increases chances of winter survival and colonies comes out of winter in spring much stronger to take advantage of OSR crops.

 

[Norfolk]

How would it mess the super up.

If they start to lay brood in it is what I meant by messing up. There is also a tendency for the colour to darken.

 

[Norfolk]

If you go down the artificial swarm (or snelgrove route) of swarm control and don't really want the exponential increase in colony numbers that results from this then you can winter on Double brood by uniting the AS back to the original hive in late August (retaining the youngest or best queen). This means less feeding needed for winter and less expense on Varroa treatment. Bigger colonies for winter increases chances of winter survival and colonies comes out of winter in spring much stronger to take advantage of OSR crops.

That is a plan for sure. Certainly makes sense if you have a weaker colony in the autumn.

 

[Hivemaker.]

If they start to lay brood in it is what I meant by messing up. There is also a tendency for the colour to darken.

Many beekeepers don't use any excluders at all, some systems like the Rose hive don't use them, would these combs be classed as messed up.