Too big?

Overwintered in brood and a half and had to treat with MAQS three weeks ago.
The hive are still on brood and a half and have bias on two frames in each box. HM seen today and young eggs but she seems to be laying very slowly. Wondering if putting super on top of the brood box and a QX in the middle may encourage her to lay a bit quicker?
2012 queen, she was prolific last year...
Would it be the MAQS or too much space? I'm north London but don't have any rape nearby. Stores are good!


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if you HAD to use MAQs in spring, then I assume you had a varroa problem and you have a small colony as a result?. They will take time to recover their strength. With a mesh floor, try insulation on top of the crown board to conserve heat which will allow for faster expansion.

Tell us, what is in the other 18 frames?

Do you really mean overwintered in a brood and a half or did you mean a brood and a shallow of stores. Also, what hive format would help us from just guessing.

Most other frames are stores, 12 frames of stores- 4 capped. I have a national hive. Yes overwintered in brood box and a super of stores. Queen seemed so prolific last year but so slow this year...


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Are the stores right up against the area where the brood is? If that is the case, there will be very few "free" cells for the queen to lay in. The colony may thus be stores bound or honey locked (whichever term you prefer). This is what RAB/O90O is trying to get you to think about.
If empty frames of drawn comb are moved to the edge of the brood nest, the workers will begin to clean the cells in preparation for the queen to lay in. This will allow the colony to expand if they are able to. You need to bear in mind that other factors can cause a colony to remain small...

Do you have a 6 frame nuc? If so I'd get those four brood frames (never mind if two are shallows) a frame of stores and a frame of drawn comb and get them into the nuc. Watch them carefully and see if they improve. Sorry to have to say it but four frames of brood at this time of year, two of which are shallow, is a bit concerning.
Good luck.