Queenless hive backfilling double bb with nectar

[Do224]

Wondering now about how to deal with this hive. Currently on double brood and two supers. Very heavy and most of the weight is in the brood boxes I think. I’m hoping the virgin queen will be mated and laying in about 10 days time, or perhaps sooner (original queen was nuc’d and charged cell left on 1st May). At that point I’m perhaps going to need to free up some laying space for her. Pondering a couple of options…

1. Perhaps it’s mainly the top bb that is full of honey. If I take this away for extraction or to keep as winter feed, do I need to give them another bb of comb/foundation back or can I/should I just leave them on a single bb and add extra supers if needed?

2. Just leave them to it and they’ll move any honey from the brood chamber up to the supers if the queen is short of space.

3. Another option I’m not thinking of.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

option 2

 

[Do224]

option 2

Presume with a newly mated queen, chances of her swarming this season are next to nothing? Or is that wishful thinking?

 

[Sutty]

Presume with a newly mated queen, chances of her swarming this season are next to nothing? Or is that wishful thinking?

If only!

 

[ericbeaumont]

move any honey from the brood chamber up to the supers

Give a third super under the current two.

 

[Do224]

Give a third super under the current two.

I’ve only foundation, will that work?

 

[Eyeman]

Taking a nuc swarm control. Remove queen with 5 frames into nuc. Replace with dummy frames to avoid honey-bound frames. If letting the colony requeen itself then replace dummies with drawn comb when new queen starts laying. Or remove all capped QC’s, go back 6 days later & remove all QC’s. Unite by Replacing dummies with one of your spare 5 frame nucs.

 

[ericbeaumont]

newly mated queen, chances of her swarming this season are next to nothing?

Broadly speaking, I wouldn't worry about a swarm, esp. as the main flow will divert the colony mindset to acquisition, so do whichever is easier and suits the kit to hand.

Advantage of extracting the top BB is that an hour or so later the empty combs will be back on the colony, ready for when she starts laying. Disadvantage is that you'd disturb a colony with a virgin about to mate. Better to have a quiet look in a fortnight, see eggs, extract top BB and return.

I’ve only foundation, will that work?

Only one way to find out; better than it sitting in the shed, and the addition won't disturb the colony much.

dummy frames to avoid honey-bound frames

I like Alec's idea, as it would oblige bees to put everything upstairs.

 

[Do224]

Went into this hive today and found eggs and young larvae in the top bb . Maybe half the top bb was stores and the other half free for laying. Bottom bb pretty empty so loads of space to lay.

Two part filled supers, maybe just under half full each (lots uncapped but passes the shake test). Not sure whether to extract now or wait. I saw some bees with yellow dots on their heads over the last few weeks but they were in the minority. Is it better safe than sorry with OSR…should I just extract what’s there just in case? The OSR looks pretty much over now…it is about three quarters of a mile away so not sure how much will have made it into the supers (there’s been plenty of hawthorn, sycamore and dandelions closer).

 

[Antipodes]

Went into this hive today and found eggs and young larvae in the top bb . Maybe half the top bb was stores and the other half free for laying. Bottom bb pretty empty so loads of space to lay.

Two part filled supers, maybe just under half full each (lots uncapped but passes the shake test). Not sure whether to extract now or wait. I saw some bees with yellow dots on their heads over the last few weeks but they were in the minority. Is it better safe than sorry with OSR…should I just extract what’s there just in case? The OSR looks pretty much over now…it is about three quarters of a mile away so not sure how much will have made it into the supers (there’s been plenty of hawthorn, sycamore and dandelions closer).

Would you consider doing something about all the free space in the brood area now, like having just one brood box? It's a freshly laying queen isn't it?

 

[Do224]

Would you consider doing something about all the free space in the brood area now, like having just one brood box? It's a freshly laying queen isn't it?

I could do…would that be preferable to leaving them on double brood?

 

[Antipodes]

I could do…would that be preferable to leaving them on double brood?

One brood box with the usual arrangement of frames. From what you've said, I can't see they need double brood. Three weeks there now until the longest day.

Nice young queen in the brood box. Excluder above and then supers. Take capped now, come back in a week and rob any more capped or nearly capped honey. I chase quickly crystallising honey here at times, and I don't try to rob it all at once.

 

[Do224]

One brood box with the usual arrangement of frames. From what you've said, I can't see they need double brood. Three weeks there now until the longest day.

Nice young queen in the brood box. Excluder above and then supers. Take capped now, come back in a week and rob any more capped or nearly capped honey. I chase quickly crystallising honey here at times, and I don't try to rob it all at once.

ok . I’ll do that. There might have been a fair bit of pollen in the bottom box…I can’t remember and was preoccupied trying to see eggs. My other double brood colony has loads of pollen in the bottom box. If this is also the case with this colony should I leave them with it or still take it away?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

leave them on double brood, the new queen will probably need the laying space and as you said, there's probably a lot of pollen already in the bottom box. now is not the time to reduce a double to a single brood.

 

[Antipodes]

ok . I’ll do that. There might have been a fair bit of pollen in the bottom box…I can’t remember and was preoccupied trying to see eggs. My other double brood colony has loads of pollen in the bottom box. If this is also the case with this colony should I leave them with it or still take it away?

Yes, leave them some pollen of course, but they'll do beautifully on a single brood. Lots of unnecessary space in there at the moment. Once you've condensed them down and got your honey in the current site, see if you can move them somewhere to find another nectar flow. Then In late summer/autumn how about moving them to a heather site? Make them a really productive colony and give them access to good resources.
All the best with them.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

it isn't June yet, the season hasn't even started properly - it's ridiculous to start talking about brooding slowing down and reducing space for the winter the last thing you want to do is restrict laying space for the queen, especially a new one.

 

[Antipodes]

it isn't June yet, the season hasn't even started properly - it's ridiculous to start talking about brooding slowing down and reducing space for the winter the last thing you want to do is restrict laying space for the queen, especially a new one.

I wasn't talking about reducing space for the winter. What made you imagine that?