Double Brood question

[parkranger]

I overwintered on double brood due to a late unite (queenless in Early Oct).All seems well after its inspection last week with a surprising amount of sealed stores left over. I am thinking of reducing back to single brood but am concerned that if I super (soon) that they will move up the stores which are almost certainly tainted by thymol (Apigard in August). Might keep them on double brood as she is fairly prolific but don't look forward to inspections with heavy top boxes.
Any advice please?

 

[Tom Bick]

Remove the frames of stores and extract them and then replace the frames. Or replace with foundation. You can then taste the extracted store to see if you can detect thymol. Don't remove all of the stores as they still need some.

 

[enrico]

Or remove some of the stores and give it back to them in autumn. Makes sure where queen is and put QE between box's. Obviously you need to try and fiddle frames to fit where you want them, if you wait until weather warms up it will make life easier to sort frames!
E

 

[Swarm]

No need to be lifting that top box every inspection, look in the bottom as well if you find queencells.

 

[oliver90owner]

I agree with enrico. If removed frames are frozen in a freezer for a day and then stored in a wax moth free environment, they could be used later in the year in one of several scenarios.

If they need two brood boxes, that is better than losing a swarm early in the season. Reverting, later, to one box is not difficult.

RAB

 

[parkranger]

Thanks for the advice....think I will do as Enrico/Rab suggest and remove a couple of frames of stores to free up some space and freeze/store until next needed. Jury is till out on whether to cut them down to a single box but I have time to think about it. Thanks again.

 

[user 7889]

I was at the WBKA convention on Saturday, and was lucky enough to hear the talk by Wally Shaw about pre-emptive swarming. With a double brood, you have an excellent opportunity to split the colony in May and to use a Snelgrove board. You can then either use the opportunity for increase, or subsequently recombine later in the season (removing one of the queens of course). There are some notes about the use of the Snelgrove board and plans if you want to build your own on the WBKA website (I can't post the link as I don't have 10 posts yet, but look for the general information section)

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes, when he makes splits this way he leaves the parent colony to get on with sorting their own emergency queens out. He says they always do and he never gets swarms. So.....no knocking queen cells down to just the one or two then.....

 

[Tom Bick]

If using a snlegrove board Erica he perhaps hardly lets the parent colony get on with things as he is probably closing and opening all the doors to reduce the number of bees down to a level where they will be reluctant to send out cast swarms.

 

[Erichalfbee]

If using a snlegrove board Erica he perhaps hardly lets the parent colony get on with things as he is probably closing and opening all the doors to reduce the number of bees down to a level where they will be reluctant to send out cast swarms.

Hi Tom,
He did a talk at our BKA

On original site aim for a box with half sealed brood and bees.
Add drawn frames and queen

Original box is moved to the side or anywhere in the apiary.
Here you have 7 frames of brood new comb/eggs and young larvae bees and stores. Leave alone......walk away

I'm not suggesting anybody do this, just saying that's what he does BEFORE they get into swarm mode.

 

[Tom Bick]

Perhaps we are at crossed wires ericA as in post 7 snelgrove board is mentioned and the system you are mentioning is perhaps another he uses.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes....sorry should have read whole thread