Brood enlargening downward

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A week ago I added to all my hives first enlargening boxes. I put them under recent brood box. What I have now inspected, the queens have descended nicely to lower boxes and laid there very well. My weathers have been good and blooming is mere flow.

Now I am adding more boxes. In weak hives I put third box again to lowest. I do not know how weathers are going to change. But I do enlargenings according worst scenario.

In Western country weathers have been worse and guys feed their hives there. Hot Russian frontier has covered one week just South East corner where I have hives.

Yep. I do not encourage bees. Weather does it .

Ps. Weathers have been quite stormy.

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What queens lay now, those will be foragers in main yield in July.
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Sounds like you have a promising season. My own bees have been more erratic and spent much of the time sheltering from the poor weather and plotting a divorce from their incompetent keeper.

Finman said:

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I put them under recent brood box. What I have now inspected, the queens have descended nicely to lower boxes and laid there very well. My weathers have been good and blooming is mere flow.

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I hope you have a good season Finman.
I have a question: You talk about adding boxes to the bottom of the stack so the queen has more space to lay in as she needs it. Where do you put new foundations to get more comb?
Traditionally we would add it to the top (alternating between drawn frames) as this is the warmest place for wax drawing bees to work but these bees usually hang from the bottom of frames. Do you alternate comb with foundation at the bottom?

Opened up a few double broods last week with a box full of foundation put at the bottom of the stack - jam packed full of bees wax making - not just the odd frame, but wall to wall

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At least some here put a third box foundations and put them lowest.

Brood need the heat. Bees will do the wax work downstairs as they do in nature.

I let them build new foundations later. I do not want use best dandelion honey to wax making. They have work when they repair combs after extraction damages.

Later I put foundation boxes over the brood box when hive is strong and flow is going.

I hope you have a good season Finman.
I have a question: You talk about adding boxes to the bottom of the stack so the queen has more space to lay in as she needs it.

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Nothing to do with Finman's reason....thats how bees work....
Down down deeper and down...

Dishmop said:

Nothing to do with Finman's reason....thats how bees work....
Down down deeper and down...

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My beekeeper neighbour told an hour ago, that his balance hive brought today 3 kg dandelion honey. That is they way it goes here... In good day Gravity draws down.

Most of my hives have brought 15 kg dandelion honey in a week.

jenkinsbrynmair said:

Opened up a few double broods last week with a box full of foundation put at the bottom of the stack - jam packed full of bees wax making - not just the odd frame, but wall to wall

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It makes you wonder why beginners are always taught to add new comb on the top.
I can only think of two reasons not to have a box with foundation in at the bottom:
- It makes the stack of heavy boxes higher
- Anything that drops from the brood area falls on nice clean combs/foundation.
but, I can think of several reasons to have foundation at the bottom
- Its the natural place for wax drawing bees to be
- lifting heavy boxes off the platform is easier than lifting them off the ground
-if you need to go through the brood, you can place it on an upturned lid and the flying bees return to foundation rather than the bottom brood in a double brood box (thats why you go through the lower brood box first anyway)
- it insulates the brood from the ground
- Raising the stack means the beekeeper doesn't have to bend so low and reduces back strain.
- you don't alert guards by taking a box of foundation off the top before you can start inspecting the colony.
- it provides cluster space for foragers and reduces conjestion in the brood area (a contributory factor in swarming)
I am sure there must be others I haven't thought of.

Finman said:

Most of my hives have brought 15 kg dandelion honey in a week.

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I'd gladly swap your nectar flows for ours Finman. OSR may be earlier but its horrible stuff to extract if it granulates

It makes you wonder why beginners are always taught to add new comb on the top.

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Comb...or boxes..

We put shallow boxes on top for them to put honey in because that is where they would put honey anyway.

Finman said:

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A week ago I added to all my hives first enlargening boxes.

Now I am adding more boxes. In weak hives I put third box again to lowest. I do not know how weathers are going to change. But I do enlargenings according worst scenario.

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Hi finny. So if you add extra boxes under weak hives I assume all the others get boxes at above the brood? Do you ever insert a new brood box between the double/ triple brood hives ie splitting the brood like the rose hive method.
Do you use drawn comb or foundation in the new boxes

Obee1 said:

Hi finny. So if you add extra boxes under weak hives I assume all the others get boxes at above the brood? Do you ever insert a new brood box between the double/ triple brood hives ie splitting the brood like the rose hive method.
Do you use drawn comb or foundation in the new boxes

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All hives are weak after Winter. They start to get new bees after midway of May. Now all Wintered bees are dead.
My hives started to enlarge a week ago, and even douple brood wintered hives had only one box of bees.

This spring it was here quite few foraging days even if spring was early. And now spring is in its usual time table. It has rained really much.

When hives has 4 boxes of bees, I can put a whole box of foundations between brood and honey.

Obee1 said:

Do you ever insert a new brood box between the double/ triple brood hives ie splitting the brood like the rose hive method.

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If you split the brood, the bees would start making emergency queen cells.....or in years like this year, you might even get chilled brood.

Dishmop said:

Comb...or boxes..

We put shallow boxes on top for them to put honey in because that is where they would put honey anyway.

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yes but what a great way to stop your brood box getting choked up with fresh nectar.

B+. said:

If you split the brood, the bees would start making emergency queen cells.....or in years like this year, you might even get chilled brood.

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Perhaps that will not happen, but bees do not stand such violent actions. Big part of brood will die for cold. I can see how sparse are bees and they nurse big brood areas.

In spring colonies try to enlarge their brood much as possible. They really do not need beekeepers' help. Hive is in deep troubles if weathers turn bad.

I have seen this spring British weather. 15C is usual . You do not much care about that over there. Your bees are so harsh. (or beeks)

B+. said:

yes but what a great way to stop your brood box getting choked up with fresh nectar.

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Is there any other way?

Dishmop said:

Is there any other way?

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It depends, are you rearing bees for main yield, or catching some kilo yield.
My target is July and I work for that. If bees get now some honey now, it accelerates brooding too.

Now my hives have on average 2 boxes, but at the end of June they have 5-6 boxes.

Like head line says, you may enlarge your hive downwards, you help bees to keep their brood hive warm. And bees need not encouraging, if you know, what they are doing. They do what bees do. They build combs and forage honey.

Finman said:

Like head line says, you may enlarge your hive downwards

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SWMBO just said she wishes I would enlarge a bit downwards as well

jenkinsbrynmair said:

SWMBO just said she wishes I would enlarege a bit downwards as well

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Isnt there a pump for that ?