Size of brood area - does it tell me anything?

[Nakedapiarist]

I had a rummage through the indoor hive yesterday, discovered to my surprise that the bees must have got dissatisfied with the their queen in the autumn and replaced her.

These bees are on double brood - they needed it early last summer so I left them with it. I'm quite surprised that I've already got brood filling three frames on the second box - as well as all the brood on the lower.

Is that usual for this time of year? Does it imply I'm going to have a massive colony this year?

 

[Chris B]

Possibly. More significant would be whether they try to swarm. If they have plenty of space ahead of time then you have every chance of keeping them together through the season. My own non-swarmers will fill brood box and at least 4 or 5 supers with bees at their peak size.

 

[Finman]

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This time of year it tells how much they have had pollen in frames, and they got a good start. Then they have foraged outdoors.

You will see soon it, when those brood emerge and weathers become better. Be ready to enlarge the hive. A box of foundations is good to suck the swarming ideas, or at least 3-4 foundations.

And to clip the wing of queen would be nice.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

I had a rummage through the indoor hive yesterday, discovered to my surprise that the bees must have got dissatisfied with the their queen in the autumn and replaced her.

These bees are on double brood - they needed it early last summer so I left them with it. I'm quite surprised that I've already got brood filling three frames on the second box - as well as all the brood on the lower.

Is that usual for this time of year? Does it imply I'm going to have a massive colony this year?

So most of the brood is in the bottom box? Intersting. What kind of hive is it and is it insulated?

 

[Obee1]

So most of the brood is in the bottom box? Intersting. What kind of hive is it and is it insulated?

I have a similar thing - My buckfast hive has most of the brood in the bottom box and three or four frames in the upper. They are in wooden national double with a kingspan bonnet.

 

[Arfermo]

I had a rummage through the indoor hive yesterday, discovered to my surprise that the bees must have got dissatisfied with the their queen in the autumn and replaced her.

These bees are on double brood - they needed it early last summer so I left them with it. I'm quite surprised that I've already got brood filling three frames on the second box - as well as all the brood on the lower.

Is that usual for this time of year? Does it imply I'm going to have a massive colony this year?

Will you be clipping the new queen? Hope so.