wow lots of every thing

[Bryanthebee]

cheched hive for the first time today this year, full of honey, full to the brim of pollen full of brood,no room to lay, what do i do now as they dont need feeding seeing the stores in the hive. i am stumped.

 

[Rosti]

If they really are full to the brim as you say then you only really have three choices, but before we get to those choices can you not rebalance store frames between your hives assuming same site and same 'disease' status? Or are you saying both hives are stacked out? If stacked out options as I see it.

a) SAFE: let them be! so your build up will slow down a bit, big deal, keeping is for the long haul not short term gain. OK, so you run a v low risk of being the earliest swarming on record, ever, anywhere!

b) MIDDLING: keep them in the BB as they are but replce a couple of full frames of stores with drawn empty comb (alternative would be to remove, spin and replace same frames if no drawn available to you but unnecessarily complex), remember - the last thing they need at this time of year is undrawn foundation to play with.

c) STRETCHING: throw a pre-drawn super on above the QE and accept the risk of chilling - it is afterall still only late March. If its not pre-drawn then forget it!

Which do you fancy going for and why?

 

[Poly Hive]

There is another option.

Bruise the cappings on the frames next to your brood nest and observe.

If you have for discussions sake four frames, then on next inspection in a weeks time you would expect to see at least a further one side on each of the bruised frames laid up. If not both.

Your hive tool has a flat end for a very good reason.

PH

 

[Bryanthebee]

i think spin some frames is the best option, as i combined the two hives before winter because we had laying nurse bees which was the last resort

 

[Midland Beek]

. i am stumped.

It is widely accepted amongst beekeepers in most parts of the UK that a single National brood chamber is too small. There's a lot of National users on this forum who would have overwintered on brood and a half or double brood.

 

[bushman1872]

too true I am in the process of putting my lot into a 14x12 brood box.

 

[Skyhook]

remember - the last thing they need at this time of year is undrawn foundation to play with.

Just out of interest- why?

ps I mis-read the next bit as 'a pre-dawn super'- wondered why it needed to be put on so early!

 

[Rosti]

Skyhook, my thinking is:

• until drawn it would be sterile / useless space, time required to draw at this time of year unclear
• bee numbers are still close to rock bottom so even if you could distract them into drawing it, it would take away rearing / foraging numbers
• would divert precious energy and water reserves
• colder works against the bees for drawing as well so a potential viscious circle
• weather still unpredicatable and the extra space to keep warm without benefit not good IMO.
  

that last particularly relevent to adding an undrawn super. R