This years plan - and what to do with 9-frame supers I may not need.

[Curly green finger's]

I'm sure you think know what you are doing Mark ...but it sounds like an extraordinary way to operate - more so for a prospective bee farmer ... I thought I was missing some magical way of making increase and getting a good honey crop from a small colony going into winter - when the perceived wisdom is that it is difficult to achieve both from a single established colony. You obviously believe you have found the way to achieve this and I wish you luck with it ... but I would not encourage anyone else to experment in the way you describe.

'Nuff said ...

There is more to it than I have said frame manipulations and box reversals even adding nurse bees. all I can say is they have to get to a Certian stage before I will remove frames of brood and not alway three deap brood frames.
As you know if the queen is a fecund one with a good flow or feed the queen can soon lay up drawn comb frames in a short amount of time.
And I agree I've been trying this system for this being the third season and for beginners isn't something I would promote.
Apologies to the op as I've taken the thread of topic.

 

[Finman]

I suggest that you use 2 brood boxes. That system is easier to manage, and it gives more flexibility to renew brood combs when they become black. In a bigger brood space bees have more space to store pollen too. Bees love to store pollen beside brood area.

This 2 brood boxes is very common sbystem. In brood and half system I cannot see any advantage.

The smaller is the brood space, the more pollen bees store pollen inside honey combs. Only way to get pollen off from combs is that the queen lays the comb and bees eate off the pollen

 

[bobba]

Not for the bees: for them it's a full-time professional occupation.

I like an experimenter and it doesn't matter what you do so long as the bees succeed, but if your management method is determined by a lack of kit, then upgrading from hobby to hobby+ will = more money and more kit. At what price did you sell the 70kg last year?

In the spring I under sold my honey as I was an idiot. Was selling 400g jar for £5. But put price up to £7 per jar later in the year, £10 for chunk. I had 25kg/55lb from the first swarm too, but naff all from the other 2. If i did not get such a good harvest I might be a single man now . Am thinking £7.5 and £12 for chunk this year, everything was gone within weeks of harvest last year. And my 8 jars of chunk sold in under 10m!

I am just in a position with my keeping where I am approaching breaking even. So a bit more honey and I can start getting kit as I need it. I have everything I need to get me through this year with very little spending. Last year the miss was getting a bit tetchy about my spending, and tbh the financial stress with the miss got in the way of me enjoying my hobby. Last year was my first full season so had to get extractor the works.

But I don't think I am "lacking kit" to a point of detriment. Maybe I would give x2 deep a crack if I had the kit. But the bees will be ok whatever size broods I use.

So I just want to enjoy looking after my bees and think I can make it work with the kit I have, whilst caring for their welfare. And from now on, if possible, I want to get honey, then buy kit to avoid stress with the miss.

And just because its a hobby I still regard the welfare of my bees a top priority.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I suggest that you use 2 brood boxes. That system is easier to manage, and it gives more flexibility to renew brood combs when they become black. In a bigger brood space bees have more space to store pollen too. Bees love to store pollen beside brood area.

This 2 brood boxes is very common sbystem. In brood and half system I cannot see any advantage.

The smaller is the brood space, the more pollen bees store pollen inside honey combs. Only way to get pollen off from combs is that the queen lays the comb and bees eate off the pollen

I run double brood finman already as do I run brood/half and the three box colonys.
As I expand I'm going to keep my brood boxes all the same..
I want things to be as easy as possible. time to stop playing with experiments (maybe)..

 

[Finman]

I run double brood finman already as do I run brood/half and the three box colonys.
As I expand I'm going to keep my brood boxes

I tried to keep couple brood, but I noticed that it was not enough to queens to lay. Bees use to store pollen to the first box and brood is in the next two. I do not use excluder.

But I may use all boxes mixed, when I join hives for main flow. Nothing is written to stone.

I only wondered, how the forum can get 40 answer discussion from the basement of beekeeping.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I tried to keep couple brood, but I noticed that it was not enough to queens to lay. Bees use to store pollen to the first box and brood is in the next two. I do not use excluder.

But I may use all boxes mixed, when I join hives for main flow. Nothing is written to stone.

I only wondered, how the forum can get 40 answer discussion from the basement of beekeeping.

I can remember you talking about it finny in years past, there's numerous ways to achieve the same goal.

 

[pargyle]

I suggest that you use 2 brood boxes. That system is easier to manage, and it gives more flexibility to renew brood combs when they become black. In a bigger brood space bees have more space to store pollen too. Bees love to store pollen beside brood area.

This 2 brood boxes is very common sbystem. In brood and half system I cannot see any advantage.

The smaller is the brood space, the more pollen bees store pollen inside honey combs. Only way to get pollen off from combs is that the queen lays the comb and bees eate off the pollen

Good advice Finnie .... could not agree more ....

 

[bobba]

Have just been digging out my kit. I have to store it where I can, its mostly spread between the attic, consevetory and shed. So keeping track of things is tricky.

I found 2 ply-brood box kits I had made but not assembled. I have another painted and ready to go as it was on swarm standby. So have one brood ready to go.

So I will go double deep on my little swarm. And if I can get another assembled and painted in time, then I will go double brood on swarm 1 too.

Then hive 1 and 2 can run with my crazy plan and I will see how I get on with the 2 systems.

Just have to get a brood assembled and painted ASAP. Am worried its cool so my resin will take a week to dry.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Have just been digging out my kit. I have to store it where I can, its mostly spread between the attic, consevetory and shed. So keeping track of things is tricky.

I found 2 ply-brood box kits I had made but not assembled. I have another painted and ready to go as it was on swarm standby. So have one brood ready to go.

So I will go double deep on my little swarm. And if I can get another assembled and painted in time, then I will go double brood on swarm 1 too.

Then hive 1 and 2 can run with my crazy plan and I will see how I get on with the 2 systems.

Just have to get a brood assembled and painted ASAP. Am worried its cool so my resin will take a week to dry.

It's not a crazy plan because it's called beekeeping

 

[pargyle]

It's not a crazy plan because it's called beekeeping

That's a matter of opinion ... not a fact !

 

[Curly green finger's]

That's a matter of opinion ... not a fact !

Aye it is, but if one is to just follow and copy everyone else things wouldnt get invented or experimented with, it would be a very dreary old world.

 

[pargyle]

Aye it is, but if one is to just follow and copy everyone else things wouldnt get invented or experimented with, it would be a very dreary old world.

I think you've just gone full circle back to post #14

"By all means improve the tyre on the wheel, make it from better materials, adjust the spokes and bearings but for goodness sake lets not forget the best shape for a wheel (proven since the first wheel was invented) is round ,.... "

If it works ..... Don't fix it ?

 

[bobba]

I think you've just gone full circle back to post #14

"By all means improve the tyre on the wheel, make it from better materials, adjust the spokes and bearings but for goodness sake lets not forget the best shape for a wheel (proven since the first wheel was invented) is round ,.... "

If it works ..... Don't fix it ?

Not exactly. I was copying Canadian Beekeeper with my crazy system anyway. Its just chance I had tried it before in my own bumbling way. One of last years swarms is currently brood +1/2. So I will just slot another brood in the middle - and then it will have a brood/super on top . But I may run Swarm-2 completely "conventional" as its only single brood now.

I think CBK is one of the better youtube beekeepers. And I think there is merit his methodology of letting the bees move up a super early in the season. They only seemed to occupied at most 4-6 frames in the middle, the queen was laying in it before the combs were fully drawn last year. So the bees seem to like it. And I do think putting some space right at the top of the brood nest below where honey will go has merit in reducing swarming instinct too.

I cannot prove any of what I said it true but could explain in length why it think it is

My adaption of CBK system is to not use a QE for the 1st super and pop some fresh wax in it. The brood box set up is not important as I eluded too in an earlier post. So its not that much of a far out crazy system. Some people use no QE, but I want CC, so am trying a compromise.

Also I may thinking of selling a hive or 2, and doubles would probably be the more popular format. So compliance to "the way" has some advantages.

I am a noob and still trying to find what works for me. So I would rather not switch over all 4 to doubles only to find I don't like them. So this way I can try things out first.

 

[Finman]

Aye it is, but if one is to just follow and copy everyone else things wouldnt get invented or experimented with, it would be a very dreary old world.

I have noticed that the young generation of beekeepers takes care that wheel will be invented again, again and again. Every year.

It was said that japanese copy everything. Now we say that it is China.