WBC Bailey Change

[Briward]

I have a WBC with a 14 x 12 BB. Is it feasible to do a Bailey change with this size? Also I find it impossible to spot my queen .. I've tried everything but now don't even bother to try! Can I still do a Bailey? Will this work as a form of swarm control too? Thanks for any help.

 

[curry756]

You need to find the queen for a bailey comb change as you need to mover her up to new brood at some point.

Can you get an expert over to mark her? Someone from your local bka?

 

[Apple]

YES YES and NO

I have not found anything that can not be done in terms of manipulation with the WBC that can not be done with any other moveable frame hive.

James

 

[Briward]

You need to find the queen for a bailey comb change as you need to mover her up to new brood at some point.

Can you get an expert over to mark her? Someone from your local bka?

Yes .. it seems that everything I want to do has the words "find the queen" somewhere!
Isn't eggs and brood enough?

 

[Davelin]

No because you need to ensure the queen is in the new box. If you put a new box on without a queen excluder and leave it for a while you might find eggs in the top box. If you do put a q ex on quick. If you have eggs in top box 3 days later then queen is up there.

 

[Heather]

Get 2 brood boxes , split the colony into the two boxes. There will be space+. Cover and leave for a short while (30 mins). One colony calm, one restless.
Concentrate on the calm.. Move frames to be in pairs with a good 3" between each pair. Cover and wait 5 mins.
Inspect between each pair as she is probably hiding in the dark areas.
If both restless inspect both boxes as above.

When queen found and marked, reassemble as before and just put another brood box on top of colony, leave to develop with the extra lifts in place as normal.

 

[itma]

I have not found anything that can not be done in terms of manipulation with the WBC that can not be done with any other moveable frame hive.

The tricky bit of a Bailey with a WBC is the provision of the mid-entrance.

 

[Briward]

The tricky bit of a Bailey with a WBC is the provision of the mid-entrance.

Is that absolutely necessary? Can't they just promenade up through the lower BB?

 

[Briward]

Get 2 brood boxes , split the colony into the two boxes. There will be space+. Cover and leave for a short while (30 mins). One colony calm, one restless.
Concentrate on the calm.. Move frames to be in pairs with a good 3" between each pair. Cover and wait 5 mins.
Inspect between each pair as she is probably hiding in the dark areas.
If both restless inspect both boxes as above.

When queen found and marked, reassemble as before and just put another brood box on top of colony, leave to develop with the extra lifts in place as normal.

This looks interesting, Heather. Not seen this before. Although the guy who supplied my bees last year said she had been marked (Blue!) Not the best colour for a beginner to spot perhaps!

 

[Gilberdyke John]

The tricky bit of a Bailey with a WBC is the provision of the mid-entrance.

Not if you remove the outer lifts during the exercise. Balance the roof on top of the inner boxes or make a temporary weather top.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Move frames to be in pairs with a good 3" between each pair. Cover and wait 5 mins.

This does work, and it's quite easy to do.

Is that absolutely necessary? Can't they just promenade up through the lower BB?

It probably depends on how many drones there are. In their desperate urge to get out, they try to force themselves through the queen excluder.

 

[Briward]

Not if you remove the outer lifts during the exercise. Balance the roof on top of the inner boxes or make a temporary weather top.

Sorry to be dim but how do you then make a second entrance?

 

[Heather]

Bailey - you don't need second entrance.
When the queen has moved up to clean box, QE between the two. Soon most bees will move up to protect new brood. Then you can shake remainder of bees off old lower box when all brood hatched there.
In the meantime all bees can move up and down and out of lower exit, only queen trapped upstairs.. and maybe some drone ...

 

[itma]

Bailey - you don't need second entrance.

Sure, you can do comb changing without the middle entrance, but that departs from Bailey's method.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Sorry to be dim but how do you then make a second entrance?

Make an eke with an entrance in it. Improvise, adapt and overcome - Clint Eastwood - Heartbreak Ridge

 

[Apple]

The tricky bit of a Bailey with a WBC is the provision of the mid-entrance.

I have made up boards that fit the WBC boxes ( same size as a crown board) with a entrance that can be shut off if need be using a dovetailed block.
This fits atop the bottom brood box snugly, and allows the properly measured bee space below the top brood box frames.

I copied the idea from a demonstration of artificial swarming by a beekeeper from Ottery many years ago, claimed it would also eradicate the then notifiable Varroa mite that had been first spotted in the associations apiary!

Agree can only be used if the lifts are not in place, but of course the bottom lift with the entrance sliders can still be left in place.
Just check the weather is not about to turn cold when you attempt this.

I always considered that The Bailey Frame Change is possibly a great way to reduce virus load retained in the foundation, and nice clean frames look so much better!

Happy Egg Day
James