Second brood box removal?

[abbot ale]

Ive had two brood boxes on during the summer to give room for expanding colony and help prevent swarming. Question is do I leave them both on or is there a way to move bees down into first box for the winter

 

[Spikedog]

I simply remove the bottom box (usualy light/empty of stores etc., a this time.) and shake the bees on any frames back into the now x 1 box unit. Whereas most of mine are winter ready I do still have a double box & Super. Twice I have opened to remove the bottom box but it still contains brood. A soon as cleared I will move the bottom box off and naider the super. If your set up is different, e.g., permanet floor/BB, others may advise. Good wintering.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I simply remove the bottom box (usualy light/empty of stores etc., a this time.) and shake the bees on any frames back into the now x 1 box unit. Whereas most of mine are winter ready I do still have a double box & Super. Twice I have opened to remove the bottom box but it still contains brood. A soon as cleared I will move the bottom box off and naider the super. If your set up is different, e.g., permanet floor/BB, others may advise. Good wintering.

Deleted post!!!

 

[Swarm]

Why not just leave them on double?

 

[enrico]

Leave them on double till spring and then remove the bottom box. If there is any brood in it then just swap a few frames. Whatever you do don't remove the top one now. That is where the stores will be!!!

 

[masterBK]

Unless the colony is quite small I (mine rarely are) I winter my colonies on doubles and when fed etc most of the stores are put in the top BC with the queen mainly laying in the bottom BC. I have never ever had a case of isolation starvation using doubles (and I have been doing this for many decades) possibly because the bees can move in the beespace between the boxes with no need to pass through any cold areas. I have had isolation starvation in the past wintering on singles when the bees are on one side of the BC and the remaining stores were on the other side with empty combs between them.

 

[Swarm]

If double brood is too much space, consider dummying the space in both boxes to their needs, I have a few dummied to 16 or 18 combs.
Whole heartidly agree with masterBK, they like the tall, chimney type space.

 

[Newbeeneil]

If double brood is too much space, consider dummying the space in both boxes to their needs, I have a few dummied to 16 or 18 combs.
Whole heartidly agree with masterBK, they like the tall, chimney type space.

I also agree, I overwinter 2 double 5 frame nucs side by side under a standard roof. Bees love the tall narrow structure and the cluster seems to move up and down rather than side to side in a single brood box.

 

[elainemary]

Ive had two brood boxes on during the summer to give room for expanding colony and help prevent swarming. Question is do I leave them both on or is there a way to move bees down into first box for the winter

Hi, I am experimenting with leaving one colony on double brood this year, though I dummied it down to 16 frames a few weeks ago. I inspected it this week & the super that I'd nadir below, had been cleared of stores. Whilst there was very little brood in either brood box the top box was nearly full of stores and there were plenty of stores in the bottom box and lots of bees in both boxes. So I shook off the bees in the nadired super, took that away & I've left them on the dummied down 16 frames, across 2 brood chambers for winter. Will be interesting to see how they do, they've certainly got plenty of food.
Elaine