Brood & a Half.

[EmsE]

I intended to have both my hives on the double brood system through the winter, but things didn't go as planned and I ended up with 1 of them as a brood & a super. I wanted to avoid this as I don't like the idea of the bees raising brood in the super combs.

I took a quick peak in the top box today when I was changing the floor board and there isn't any brood in the top box yet. Would it do any harm to put the Queen excluder in to keep the brood rearing in the box below?

[gavin]

Nope (not at this time of year) and it sounds like it would do a power of good!

[EmsE]

That's great, thanks Gavin. I just hope they empty the stores in it too as it's from sugar syrup and the only drawn super combs that I have.

[gavin]

Hi Ems

The bees will tend to move stuff up so the best chance of clearing the super of sugar stores is to put it under the brood box and maybe to scratch the cappings. However I'm not sure that they will empty the super fast enough for you to later move it back on top over a queen excluder. They may need another super to store the nectar from a honey flow, perhaps when the sycamore flowers in a month or so. One super with sugar underneath and one on top for new honey at the same time doesn't sound sensible as you will get sugar and honey mixed.

I had a colony like this last spring after overwintering as a brood and a half. I moved the super underneath to clear it and once they got underway they spread down and started raising brood in that super so I ended up taking the whole brood and a half (with the half underneath this time) to the heather. It is still like that now! Maybe I'll take the bottom box away on Sunday if it is bee-playing weather.

I'd suggest getting a second new super ready. Put the sugar stores super underneath for now and scratch the cappings. Let them move up whatever they wish. As they get active and as the first flow appears take away the sugary super and keep it as spare food, maybe to put under an artificial swarm to see if they will finish the job. In the meantime put a new super on top (in plenty of time so that they move into it) for the honey crop about to come in.

best wishes

Gavin

[GRIZZLY]

My bees ended up on 1 1/2 this winter so yesterday I slipped the q excluder between the two boxes.I recon that they will have consumed the small amount of stores in the super by the time the Sycamore etc is flowering.

[darlo]

I have a small colony on two supers, no brood which was as a result of finding a swarm had populated some old rotten hive boxes last summer. I moved the frames into some new national supers last autumn, and want to put a deep with foundation on now. Will they draw it or should I wait a week or two?

Chris

[gavin]

Hi Chris

If it is weak I'd let it build for a bit yet as you risk chilling it. If it is reasonably strong (5-6 brood frames of bees?) why not wait until after the weekend's cold weather then try a Bailey comb change?

http://www.sbai.org.uk/sbai_forum/showthread.php?475-Langstroth-to-National&highlight=bailey

G.

[darlo]

Thanks for that Gavin. I will wait until next week and see what the weather presents. As yet I haven't opened them up as i didn't want to chill them, but after yesterdays fantastic weather, and watching the ladies busy at the entrance, combined with seeing a large cluster of bees still taking fondant down the other day, I think I need to get in there and get a proper look, and perhaps do a Bailey change as suggested. Thanks again

[EmsE]

Yesterday we got a break in the rain and temperatures were just getting into double figures. I thought it would be a good idea to make sure I hadn't mistakenly trapped the Queen in the super box when I put the Queen excluder in. There was loads of activity outside the hive! As I checked each frame in the top box (thankfully no brood found) there was a slight increase in buzz whenever I moved a comb but they then settled really quickly & there was no need for smoke. I've broken the capping on one of the frames of sugar-honey to encourage them to empty it.