snelgroveboard and supers

[paulgid]

when using a snelgrove board can i check supers and put more on as needed as oil seed rape is in my area. if not how much time would you give it.
many thanks paul

 

[Poly Hive]

Are you in the middle of swarm control using said board?

PH

 

[paulgid]

yes i put board on about two weeks ago
regards paul

 

[Poly Hive]

Not knowing much about the using of it and assuming there is free access to the supers then yes super as normal.

Never used one myself, finding it a lot more straight forward to find the queen and A/S from that point.

PH

 

[paulgid]

would do normal a/s but not much room.i have six hives and not room to each side for new hive
regards paul

 

[oliver90owner]

Paul,

You need to think a tad more laterally re the A/S.

Not quite as simple for the new beeks to consider but you could leave space just to one side and actually move the queenless part away after a week - the ripe queen cell should be much less fragile by then. Or you could be certain of no casts by making sure there is only one cell in the broodless side - always a risk that the remaining cell might fail, but with some experience and half a dozen colonies, you could cope with that with no problems? Just a pain, and a couple of weeks lost, if it occurs!

The way I look at it is a foraging bee is a foraging bee, whichever half of the A/S it might be in. Roundabouts and swings with the total crop. Boxes are really only moved around to prevent secondary swarms with multiple queen cells.

Not much help with your initial post, I'm with Poly Hive on that score.

Regards, RAB

 

[Worker Dave]

Hiya Paul
Yes you can add supers and as you bleed more bees from the top box into the bottom you will need to, so they have room
Dave

 

[JCBrum]

You could just put two supers (with frames and contents) between two queen excluders, between the top and bottom brood boxes, and not bother with the Snelgrove board at all.

The bees will equalize between the boxes, but you must remove the top box to a another site before the queen emerges, or alternatively use the queen cell frame and a couple of others with brood to make up a nuc. That would allow you to move the top box onto the bottom one and continue with double brood till you need to do it all again.

You can then use the new nuc to re-queen another hive, or even sell it for money if you have no alternative.

JC.