Should I add a second brood box?

[Ticklesbees]

So I had a look at one of my hives that I hadn't checked for a while. It's a poly hive with brood and super.
The super has about 5-6 drawn frames the rest are partially drawn. It has the equivalent of 3 frames of stores. It was full of bees.
The brood box was packed with bees and had 10 frames of sealed brood.
Should I add a second brood box with drawn out frames under the original brood?
Or is it too late?
I am just concerned about the amount of space when all frames emerge.
Thanks.


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[Ticklesbees]

I forgot to add that I will be feeding them as they seem a bit low. That was the reason for the inspection to check store levels.

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[domino]

If it's drawn, I'd be tempted 10 frames, blimey!

 

[Ticklesbees]

That's what I thinking. All the frames where full of sealed brood, then the last frame just had pollen and nectar and a lot of drones hiding out of the way.

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[beeno]

Yes I would for my own piece of mind. It may give them a head start in having somewhere to put all the pollen which will be needed when the bees emerge! They will need syrup feeding too. Someone has got all their winter bees then. Do they know it's autumn? Must be Italians.

 

[enrico]

If you are going to add anything then put the new box's at the bottom of the stack. Then if they need them they will use them and if they don't they will just stay empty. If you put it on the top then all stores will be moved up into it.
E

 

[Ticklesbees]

Thanks for the advise.
Tomorrow I will add the other brood box with drawn foundation under the current box.

I have never seen so much capped brood in one box before!

Do you think I should leave the super and queen excluder in place while I feed, or remove them and let them use the brood boxes?

I was also going to move this hive to another location. I might leave it where it is now, as they must be happy where they are.

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[jeff33]

Leave the super as they will store syrup there. Bees don't store below the brood nest. Remove the QX.

 

[Ian123]

By the sound of it the colony has not drawn/filled the super they have on, rather than adding another brood box i would just feed. By the sounds of it they are rather low.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Sound advice last two posts

 

[beeno]

If they lack space in the top brood box I have found they store pollen below the brood nest in the bottom brood box. Once I had a whole 14 x 12 bottom brood box full of pollen in late September and it was all gone by OA in December. Also, if you nadir a super they move stores up into brood box. Once the 10 frames of capped brood emerges the brood nest will be empty of stores. Also, I am presently feeding syrup to one colony with super on and they are not storing it in the super, but in the brood box where it should be. It is a late season timing issue with the threat of cold weather being the main issue. Inverted sugar at the ready?