To exchange or leave them as they are?

[sjt]

I had been asked to check on a colony of bees in a national hive, the owner is a complete novice and there's quite a back story.

The hive and colony were set up in June and are doing ok, a bit short on stores but otherwise fine.

The problem is the brood box and supers have been made up totally wrong. The side bars are wrong way round and upside down so the top bar of the frames come above the top edge of the brood box.

As a temporary measure I've duct taped round the 1/4" gap between the top of the brood box and the cover board but really they need transferring into another brood box and the 'wrong' one taken apart and remade.

Do I do this in the next few days on a sunny, non windy day or leave them as they are until spring? If I damage the queen in the transfer that's goodbye to the colony. We are in sunny Sussex so the weather is not too bad as yet. (I may be needing the spare brood box come the spring!)

What's best to do?

I've been able to do the supers...with a little help from a friend.

 

[masterBK]

The transfer to another brood chamber can be done in less than two minutes especially if you have a helper so I personally would just get on and do it. Bees and the brood are hardier than most people think.

 

[justsmith]

Might just be me been pessimistic but is the floor ok and do you have a spare one of them?

 

[philipm]

Get on and do it before the cold weather sets in also feed them to get the stores up.

 

[Nige.Coll]

Just do it, the gap will cause more trouble and problems than swapping them over to a new box.

 

[sjt]

Yes I was intending to swap the floor as well so I could check it.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Just do it - you're not mucking about with anything much, it will take a couple of minutes to switch boxes and then leave them in the new one until spring.
Get them switched, slap a chunk of fondant on top (a little late to faff around with anything else really unless you have some invert kicking around) Then sort the whole lot out properly in the spring.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I had been asked to check on a colony of bees in a national hive, the owner is a complete novice and there's quite a back story.

The hive and colony were set up in June and are doing ok, a bit short on stores but otherwise fine.

The problem is the brood box and supers have been made up totally wrong. The side bars are wrong way round and upside down so the top bar of the frames come above the top edge of the brood box.

As a temporary measure I've duct taped round the 1/4" gap between the top of the brood box and the cover board but really they need transferring into another brood box and the 'wrong' one taken apart and remade.

Do I do this in the next few days on a sunny, non windy day or leave them as they are until spring? If I damage the queen in the transfer that's goodbye to the colony. We are in sunny Sussex so the weather is not too bad as yet. (I may be needing the spare brood box come the spring!)

What's best to do?

I've been able to do the supers...with a little help from a friend.

Struggling to visualise how the frames have been built the way you describe or do you mean the sides of the hive?
I've had a sudden change of weather and temperatures here so I would keep the duct tape as is and stick a cosy over the whole thing until spring.

 

[sjt]

Yes it's the side bars top and bottom of the sides of the brood and supers, It couldn't be more wrong if you tried!
The chap who made them hadn't come across a national hive before, (not from UK) doesn't 'do' instructions and certainly wouldn't have asked for help but then they didn't know any beekeepers here. As I said there's a long back story but I just want to get the colony through the winter.
The weather's turned horrible today so decision referred for the moment.
Thanks for all the replies.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Stick on a cosy and sort it in the spring

 

[pargyle]

Stick on a cosy and sort it in the spring

It's damn cold down here over the next week - frost on Sunday - you can't be much different where you are to the Costa del Fareham ... might be getting a bit warmer week after next but by then they will have stuck everything together with propolis - I agree with Ericahalfabee - make a Kingspan bonnet and leave them be till spring.

 

[peteinwilts]

If not sorted already, personally I would add an eke.

If they are short of stores, give them fondant which will help fill the space.

 

[BeeJayBee]

If not sorted already, personally I would add an eke.

If they are short of stores, give them fondant which will help fill the space.

No point in saying the same thing twice, but that's probably what I'd do.

I'd also try to get some insulation above it.

 

[Swarm]

I wouldn't consider moving them, no matter how hard bees and brood are, they won't appreciate it and is it that important it needs to be done now?