Working the Spring Brood box

[Poly Hive]

I am showing a plan view, and the hint should have been the pics taken from above. The lengths of colour represent the area of brood assuming that they are circular the length on the top bar represents the width of the widest part of the oval on the frame.

That is about the best can describe it until I can get some film.

PH

 

[drstitson]

can i be the first to propose that the main act at the forum xmas party is PH, suitably lubricated with his preferred tipple, armed with a brood box and a couple of sets of Th*rnes/BBKA virtual hive frames.

i'm picturing something akin to the very best of tommy cooper (meant in best possible sense)

and no card counters allowed to heckle.

 

[Poly Hive]

What have I said that was amusing? Never liked TC

PH

 

[drstitson]

neither did i.

and in no way was i suggesting the method was anything other than serious advice.


was just trying to think of a suitably entertaining conjurer to assist the imagery.

sorry for any offence.

thinking about it i should have realised that Fezs aren't considered appropriate PPE on the rigs.

 

[johnfly]

PH. I thought that you had wrote a very good explanation about how to work the brood box, but drstitson must like to confuse a new bee from time to time, if you look at the colour, orange, drstitson, it covers the same size of the frame does not matter if you look from the side, top, or bottom most of the time, I took it looking from the top, All the sizes that you refer to drstitson they are all there on different frames, unless your bees are different

 

[drstitson]

i take your point JF and wasn't aiming to confuse anyone (but myself).

However open a series of hives, never mind different sized ones, and the shape of the brood area DOES vary significantly (and i'm talking the overall 3D shape here).

i suppose best compromise is (for me) to equate shaded areas with approx % frame covered rather than direct schematic representation of slices through a virtual 3D brood nest.

 

[Poly Hive]

You are quite right Dr but working on the bais that most use Nats, I had that frame in mind when I was cutting my Blue Peter effort. Langstroth definitely have a more elongated sphere but then..... so are the combs.

PH

 

[MJBee]

With all systems and methods they have to be tailored to individual colonies and common sense must prevail.

I have a colony that when looked at from the RHS has stores from top left to bottom right and brood from bottom right to top left. Ie the brood nest is at the top front of the hive. It will be "worked" in the same way a another colony that has co-operated and kept the brood nest nice and central on the combs

I'm so flexible that one day I may snap

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Trust Dr S to be a bit picky on the finer points of dissection

 

[Poly Hive]

In poly it is not unusual to find the outer frame and at times the first frame of brood to be next to the wall by reason of warmth.

PH

 

[drstitson]

at the surrey meeting a couple of weeks back the beefarmer speaker (dan basterfield) suggested that if the bees are given a full frame with starter strip on which to draw drone foundation they will do so and tend not to add drone comb to remaining frames.

Is this the case for others? and if so at what point would one add such a frame in order to ensure a decent supply of drones from said hive (and where in the brood nest - outside or middle)?

 

[Poly Hive]

This is why I leave the well in the poly floor, they can play with drones in there and they tend not to mess with the brood frames. Win win as it is very easy to strip off the drone comb with the hive tool, and dump a fair mite load.

Why waste a brood comb to drones?

PH