Assistance with Demaree please

[Ginger19]

I have a hive that is bombing, currently on 7 frames of brood, wall to wall with bees in the BB and super (just added another). She is a third year queen, was slow to build up last year. I was worried this year could be worse so had them on Candipolline Gold and side insulation early on and seems to have helped massively with an early start.
They are now on the rape, which has only just started to flower and judging by the amount of play cups in evidence yesterday I need to start making plans.

I have done a lot of research on the Demaree method but I have a few questions that I hope could be answered.
a) Should I Demaree now or wait for queen cells?
b) It is often mentioned to have an excluder below the top BB as well as the obvious one above the bottom BB, I haven't grasped the reason for this. Is this only if raising a Queen from the top box or just a safety net?
c) Sounds like hard work when on OSR - Does the top BB eventually fill up of Honey? If so does swapping frames from top to bottom help this matter or just further hinder the Q?

Hoping someone can assist that has been there and done that! Cheers Ginger

 

[enrico]

Demaree before queen cells. The top QE or snelgrove board is to keep the two brood box's apart and therefore the bottom old queen does not get any idea that queen cells are being made in the top box
Swapping frames will probably be best but you can swap the whole box if honey has not gone in top box. Or You can let it fill with honey if you have loads of kit and a way to extract brood frames. Gets very heavy though!
E

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

with Enrico - Demarree before QC's otherwise it isn't a Demarree. if you have any drawn comb put that with the queen in the BB.as soon as the brood has emerged from a frame in the BB (or most has emerged) swap it for another frame of brood from the bottom box QX between supers and top box is to keep any virgins emerging in the top box apart from the queen in the bottom BB. remember a shallow eke with a small entrance under the top box to allow any drones to get out.

 

[Ginger19]

Ace, I will leave them this week with the extra super and hope they remain house proud then plan to do the deed next inspection. I do have an extractor for the brood frames if required. Thanks for the info...

 

[Ginger19]

Looking back I am confused as to what is used under the top brood box...Eke with a side entrance (no inner floor) or snelgrove board (which has inner floor)?

 

[enrico]

Eke with entrance and a QE....or a snelgrove board

 

[YorkshireBees]

Looking back I am confused as to what is used under the top brood box...Eke with a side entrance (no inner floor) or snelgrove board (which has inner floor)?

Basically if you just use a QE under the top BB you will trap drones who will eventually mostly die trying to get down through the QE.

Here is a picture of a 'demaree board' that I made from a simple feeder board.
It works well keeping the drones out of your supers and you can swap the entrance 180 degs each inspection to help bleed bees back to the lower BB.

 

[Ginger19]

Thanks guys, much appreciated. Please feel free if anyone would like to add anything else - eager to get going with this now..