worried after inspection :(

[itma]

no. Do it brood brood (2). It is very practical. They will store pollen in lower combs.

In these weathers super + excluder is not good idea.

When the hive starts like a swarm, it takes 4 weeks that it begins to get new bees and to enlarge.
When you are in that point, evaluate again what to do.

If you put in there half, it will be filled with pollen. You get rid off pollen only by using comb for brood rearing. But do as you will. Main thing is to give enough space.

In tight hive they will swarm.

If there isn't a second brood box readily available, having the shallow underneath (as soon as possible) would be better than leaving them as they are for several days while robsbees obtains one. Wouldn't it?

 

[Finman]

If there isn't a second brood box readily available, having the shallow underneath (as soon as possible) would be better than leaving them as they are for several days while robsbees obtains one. Wouldn't it?

if he has not second brood box ready, it is better to use medium then.

To make draw foundations in poor weather is not a good thing.

 

[robsbees]

we've got a brood box but the foundation is new and not drawn, we do have drawn super foundation....

advice please

 

[louiseww]

Lactic acid is less harsh while they are broodless!

 

[Polyanwood]

Why do you say that Louise? What is the eveidence please?

 

[itma]

if he has not second brood box ready, it is better to use medium then.

To make draw foundations in poor weather is not a good thing.

we've got a brood box but the foundation is new and not drawn, we do have drawn super foundation....

advice please

Check your chosen weather forecaster! / or look at a few different ones and gauge the consensus, if there is one, for the week ahead

I'd say that 50% more effective space instantly is likely to be much better than 100% more in a week (or two, or ...)
YMMV, etc.

 

[Finman]

Check your chosen weather forecaster! / or look at a few different ones and gauge the consensus, if there is one, for the week ahead

I'd say that 50% more effective space instantly is likely to be much better than 100% more in a week (or two, or ...)
YMMV, etc.

based on what?

From where you drew those calculations?

 

[itma]

based on what?

From where you drew those calculations?

Not calculations, just rough round-number estimates.

I'm thinking that they wouldn't occupy foundation as densely as comb. / ?? True?

He has some shallow drawn comb. (about 5 inches deep)
He has only foundation in the deep size (about 8 inches deep)
If he uses the shallow, its space now, (about an extra of 62% in comb area from his single deep box now) but the deep would give him more space (100% more than before), but not fully effectively until it is drawn.
And in this weather, in the North of England, my expectation is that even his full box of bees, being fed, would take at least a week to draw out the foundation.

Because of his brood-break, the number of bees in the colony will be reducing. So the overcrowding will be reducing anyway. Every day, fewer bees.
My suggestion is just that some extra comb, now, is probably a better bet than the hope of more, later.
Also, and on this I may be entirely wrong, but my expectation is that wax-making would be similarly hard (and life-shortening) as intensive foraging for the workers. Which leads me to suspect that, with this weakened colony, asking them to draw another full box of comb would increase the daily death rate, causing the population to crash to a lower level, before the numbers start increasing. And that means fewer bees to cover the new brood, making for a slower build-up when the recovery starts.

As I indicated YMMV - different people will come to different conclusions.
If you think they'd be better with the bigger box of foundation than the smaller box of comb, I'd be interested to learn from your reasoning.

 

[Finman]

.
When the new box is down, it is same it half or whole box.
Idea is that warm air stays upstairs and bees occupy space downdwards when they need it.

This is not so accurate.