reversing the boxes

[janandmaxbee]

Hi - last autumn I was advised to reverse the boxes on each of my hives (brood box at the top, super at the bottom) and to remove the queen excluders - at the risk of sounding really really stupid - why should this be done - and more importantly - is this the right time to turn them back again. My bee buddy from last year gave me so much information and help, but he is not in the best of health and I cant keep bothering him.
So my question is 1. why did I reverse them. 2. shall I turn them back now. 3. what points are important when I move tham back. 4. One of my queens is new and not marked - Ill never be able to find her, how will I know if shes in the right place.
I am suffering from information overload - please help me, but in a clear concise way. (please use short words). Thank you all very much. all advice appreciated. J

 

[Heather]

They usually clear the lower super and move food/stores up to the main brood box, releasing it from use if you so want.

if you cannot find the queen- split the colony for 2 hours with the super on a clean floor and cover board- they will indicate where she is - the non queen section soon will be restless... And if no brood in the super- pretty sure she is still in the main brood box.

 

[Skyhook]

They usually clear the lower super and move food/stores up to the main brood box, releasing it from use if you so want.

if you cannot find the queen- split the colony for 2 hours with the super on a clean floor and cover board- they will indicate where she is - the non queen section soon will be restless... And if no brood in the super- pretty sure she is still in the main brood box.

Given that they are in Devon, and presumably quite mild, would a simpler alternative be to put the super back on over a queen excluder? Given the current setup HM is most likely in the BB. Check in a week and see where eggs appear.

 

[Heather]

Last years honey stores- personally I would rather they use up and clear the super so I could then put back over a QE for fresh. And there may be brood in that super at the mo and it would get chilled if above a QE now as they will be concentrating on the main box.
Just my opinion....

 

[Finman]

So my question is 1. why did I reverse them.

reversing is of course meant to 2-brood hive, becaus eyou cannot reverse one box.

The start is that you have in combs winter food, pollen and brood, and perhaps few used cells in lower parts of combs.

The lover box is usually empty in spring.

Then the colony expand and it occupyes half of lower box.
It is time to reverse boxes and reasons are:

1 prevent swarming
2 to use evenly frame cells by brood --- black --- out of use
3 to get into consumption winter food from upper parts of frames and brood there.


When my hives expand in spring, steps are in one box hive

- second box under the brood box (early summer)
- when lower box is full of bees, the third box over + reversing 2 brood boxes (near dandelion blooming)

- when the third box goes over the hive, it is usually time to give some foundations. It hinders swarming too.

2. shall I turn them back now. 3. what points are important when I move tham back.

?????

4. One of my queens is new and not marked - Ill never be able to find her, how will I know if shes in the right place.

When you open the inner cover, you see a dencer patch of bees in couple og gaps of frames. The queen is laying there.

Don't use smoke so much that bees start to run away. The queen will run too.

Don't draw the frame from dense patch because the queen will easily squezed. Take the first frame off from near side. Them loose other frames and then lift the two frames from dense point.

The queen is sually on the frame, where you see young just emerged bees and eggs.

Try to look a bug which has long legs and a big abdomen. Walking style often revieles the queen.

I am suffering from information overload - please help me, but in a clear concise way. (please use short words). Thank you all very much. all advice appreciated. J

Forums are full of disinformation and all kind of tricks what you never need.


I recommend that don't use in spring the excluder. Use two brood boxes.
When you have about 4 box in the hive and honey is coming in, you may start to use excluder.

- You lift all honey frames over the excluder
- all brood and pollen frames under the excluder and the rest foundations.

- If you have old dark combs, put them first in the middle of the brood area. Bees clean all pollen and winter food away from it. Then it will be full of brood. Then lifth the comb over excluder. Bees emerge and the comb will be full of honey. After extracted take it off from usage.

- Take care that the bees have allways enough room and they are not tight-
- When they get honey, one capped super needs two more super boxes where bees put the nectar dry.

- Extract the capped honey and put empty combs between nectar boxes and brood.

- If you see queen cells, make a false swarm quickly.

.

 

[janandmaxbee]

Hi. Thank you all for taking the time to reply. Really appreciated, and also very helpful. J.

 

[Skyhook]

Nice explanation Finman.

 

[Haughton Honey]

Spot on as usual....

 

[Finman]

.
Here you see a comb which center is darkening and a big part of the comb is is not used as brood area.

To get the comb evenly used and it is full used before exit, change the place of combs. From sides to centre and reverse up and down.

2 brood boxes make this flexible.

 

[Finman]

.
Here is one example. Seems to bee old winter food. You shoul mobilize the food and get brood into upper part of the comb

Here is quite evenly brooded comb. Soon it it is time to exit it.
But as you see, now brood are only in one half of comb.

 

[Finman]

.
The lower box is normaly cold and bees store pollen into lower cold parts of comb.
It hinders to use cells in brooding. After reversing pollen will be in the centre of brood area. Bees eate pollen and the queen lays the cells.

 

[isc26]

Did much the same myself pre winter, partly on advice to raise the brood box up away from open floor, partly because at end of Sept had 6 super frames full of unsealed honey decided to leave it for them.

Wanted to reverse them like you. Did it yesterday on warm, sunny still day, avoided temptation to inspect brood box.

Found all honey stores gone in super and no eggs, larvae, brood or Queen in super. Moved brood box down onto floor shook off the few bees in the super and removed super altogeather for the time being until they look like they need more space/warmer.