Ross Rounds

[GuyNir]

Going to try Ross Rounds for the first time this year. I’ll have a window of 3-4 weeks in July to ‘go for it’.

Wondering if someone routinely run those and can offer some insights? Specifically with regards to crowding?

Thanks.

 

[GuyNir]

No one uses Ross Rounds???

 

[Newbeeneil]

I think Eric Beaumont uses them.

 

[mbc]

No one uses Ross Rounds???

OK I'll bite
Your crystal ball needs to be spot on and get them on expanding bees just as the flow starts and hope for a good strong flow to fill all the rounds up, timing for me in the teifi valley has always been best about week or two away as the bramble begins to yield.
I like the package of a Ross round, a lovely way to present honey, but I can't help feel that you'll always get less weight overall using Ross round supers rather than supers of drawn comb, maybe even foundation.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Strong colonies and a strong flow are essential; a big swarm is best - put them in a BB and add the RR box at the same time; they'll work both straightaway.

You could leave the QX off for a short while to get them up into the cassettes, but not too long: I've had a few with brood in them...

They sell well (£11 last winter) and save slightly on extracting, which is welcome.

I don't like the fiddly Thorne RR boxes: cassettes sit on the base struts; older designs (eBay, occasionally) allow the weight to be carried by the cassette lips sitting on a rebate in the top rim of the box.

Read Richard Taylor's practical Comb Honey Book; it's a gem.

 

[GuyNir]

Read Richard Taylor's practical Comb Honey Book; it's a gem.

Read that. Excellent indeed

 

[ericbeaumont]

Specifically with regards to crowding?

Crowding may induce swarming, but on the main flow worth the risk.

Strong flow on now, but all they're doing is swarming on it, so best wait until the June solstice.

 

[GuyNir]

Here’s what I’m thinking of trying:
a week before the main flow starts (or just as the main flow starts), pop the Q on 2 frames into an Abelo 2 frame QE. The Q is confined to only those 2 frames for a week. After a week, remove the Q on one frame into a nuc as insurance (+ shaking more bees). Leaving the main colony as full strength and one frame they can raise Q from (will consider notching) & pop on the Ross Round super/s on top.
Result should be a very strong colony which should raise good Q, won’t swarm as Q- & quite crowded so will be ’forced’ to work the Ross Rounds quickly.

Makes sense?

 

[Jimmy]

Here’s what I’m thinking of trying:
a week before the main flow starts (or just as the main flow starts), pop the Q on 2 frames into an Abelo 2 frame QE. The Q is confined to only those 2 frames for a week. After a week, remove the Q on one frame into a nuc as insurance (+ shaking more bees). Leaving the main colony as full strength and one frame they can raise Q from (will consider notching) & pop on the Ross Round super/s on top.
Result should be a very strong colony which should raise good Q, won’t swarm as Q- & quite crowded so will be ’forced’ to work the Ross Rounds quickly.

Makes sense?

Sounds like a lot of manipulations.
I'd use a strong colony with a clipped young queen and maintain thorough swarm check inspections throughout.
With no queen there is a risk of back filling the brood frames as new bees emerge and colonies can also lose their drive if Q-.

 

[plain_hunt]

I try using them, or at least, I put them on and hope for results! A strong colony with a good flow on, and sometimes the bees will use them, and sometimes they’ll cram honey anywhere except in the rounds. I’ve tried both rounds and squares and it needs a good year for both. When it works it, it works well.

 

[Worldsend]

My bees hate them....

 

[mbc]

Here’s what I’m thinking of trying:
a week before the main flow starts (or just as the main flow starts), pop the Q on 2 frames into an Abelo 2 frame QE. The Q is confined to only those 2 frames for a week. After a week, remove the Q on one frame into a nuc as insurance (+ shaking more bees). Leaving the main colony as full strength and one frame they can raise Q from (will consider notching) & pop on the Ross Round super/s on top.
Result should be a very strong colony which should raise good Q, won’t swarm as Q- & quite crowded so will be ’forced’ to work the Ross Rounds quickly.

Makes sense?

Expecting bees who aren't queen right to fill sections is a fools errand imho

 

[GuyNir]

Expecting bees who aren't queen right to fill sections is a fools errand imho

Do you mean they will be reluctant to draw wax?
where will they put the nectar coming in? Assuming lots of brood in the brood area.

 

[mbc]

Do you mean they will be reluctant to draw wax?
where will they put the nectar coming in? Assuming lots of brood in the brood area.

In my experience they'll just backfill and bide their time until a queen starts laying, unlikely to draw any foundation until then.

 

[GuyNir]

In my experience they'll just backfill and bide their time until a queen starts laying, unlikely to draw any foundation until then.

Thanks. Back to the drawing board…
I guess I’ll need to just have the colony very strong and try to time it right.

 

[North End Bees]

@Michael Palmer has a video on the NHS YouTube series where he talks about building the colony up for producing cut comb. Same principal obviously for RR.
He picks a really strong colony, then a couple of weeks before the flow he adds extra frames of emerging brood (same as he does when making up a cell raiser for grafting).

about 25 mins or so in.

The video is a few years old now so he may have modified what he does (but maybe he'll come on here and let us know)