Me and my brood boxes

[Ammerbee]

I now have two brood boxes on each of my 2 hives - is there a point when I need to put them all in one box or do I just leave the two as they are? Again, all advice very much appreciated - if I do leave them, are they likely to need more than one super each for the winter? Thanks for looking at this - all very much appreciated

 

[Jambo]

I'm a newcomer in the same situation - so don't take my advice as gospel, I'm repeating what I have been told.

I have heard of good overwintering success in double brood, and the observation is that when you go to double brood they move their nest from being a rugby ball on its side shape (forced to do this in single brood) to a rugby ball on its end type shape. In the wild they seem to prefer the latter, and I would imagine that shape conserves heat better so it makes sense.

 

[bjosephd]

I now have two brood boxes on each of my 2 hives - is there a point when I need to put them all in one box or do I just leave the two as they are? Again, all advice very much appreciated - if I do leave them, are they likely to need more than one super each for the winter? Thanks for looking at this - all very much appreciated

The second brood box will act as extra storage space. The colony will reduce down and fill the boxes with stores (and/or syrup that you feed with in autumn).

I find that over wintering in double brood means less urgent to get in and inspect early the following season as they have plenty of space to expand into. Then first inspection. You can reverse the boxes.

However, one of my colonies builds up very late in the season so I think having two brood boxes in spring was a bit too much space.

That particular colony I may well over-winter on one brood this year, or reduce down to one box in spring.

Also depends of the size of the colony going into winter I guess.

 

[colinc]

I'm on doubles now for all my hives. I have had 2 look at starting swarm preps where they had crowded all brood under the excluder but the bottom brood was half empty.
Removing the queen cell preps and flipping the brood boxes stopped them, but did check 4/5 days later to ensure no new QCs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Vortex]

Double brood or Brood+half is not a panacea to early swarming .. I had 2 of my colonies decide to swarm in early April both on Brood+half and both only using 10% of the brood box but 100% of the half..
My normal configuration is half over brood. If I have to swap them around in the spring to force them to use the BB then by late May they get swapped back..

 

[drex]

Most of my colonies I run on double brood all year round. As said, gives ample space for overwintering stores, with no super in sight, and ample room for expansion in spring. In spring rarely is a colony so small that I cut it down to one BB. They will still attempt to swarm!