Single brood to 14x12

[andyphibb]

We have just requeened our hives, We want to change the frames from single brood to 14x12 frame what's the best way to do this? And is it a bit to late in the season? We are going to use eakes under the brood box

 

[oliver90owner]

Just fill the spare space under the deeps to avoid wild comb and work out the old frames as you install extra deeps. There is no simpler way than that, although there are several different ways of going about it.

You could even put up with the wild comb until next year and do a shook swam earlier in the season. Should even be OK to do one now without losing the brood, as you seem to have plenty of colonies to distribute the comb around (healthy brood only?). Loads of alternatives, really.

Do fix the ekes, mind. Lifting the box and losing the eke might make things temporarily difficult!

 

[Tremyfro]

We have just requeened our hives, We want to change the frames from single brood to 14x12 frame what's the best way to do this? And is it a bit to late in the season? We are going to use eakes under the brood box

I run both national and 14x12. There are times that switching a frame to another incompatible box is required. I accept they may build extra comb below the frame into the additional space....but this can be part of a varroa control as it is often drone brood. It is easy to slowly work the frames sideways and out of the brood to be replaced with the larger frame. I will be transferring a colony to a long hive in the autumn...ATM it is on double brood national frames. The long hive is 14x12. I will wait until the brood reduces a bit...then transfer. Taking out unused frames and moving store frames to the end of the brood frames. In the spring...there should be quite a few frames I can remove and replace with the larger frames as the brood nest expands again.
I know some people who have made boxes to go under the shorter frames...until they are rotated out.
I can't say that I have found it a problem when they build the extra comb...after a few brood rounds it is strong. I guess if they build cross comb it would be a problem though.

 

[jonnybeegood]

Ive done this & they didnt build come under the standard frames, the only time they did that was when i put a spare super frame of honey in a nuc, theydrew lovely natural comb off the bottom of it.