My existing brood hives are in deeps, how do I, and what time of year is it best to change them over to Illinois supers using Permacomb?
QuoteMy existing brood hives are in deeps, how do I, and what time of year is it best to change them over to Illinois supers using Permacomb?
Pardon my ignorance but what is an Illinois super?
Medium super.
QuoteMedium super.
:? Alrighty then. First I ever heard of it called that.
I ran across that name at Walter T. Kelley. Just a medium size.
Quote from: Ronnie Elliott on February 12, 2008, 09:09:38 PM
My existing brood hives are in deeps, how do I, and what time of year is it best to change them over to Illinois supers using Permacomb?
I would say let the deep fill up with Brood. Place the medium with the permacomb above it. When the queen is in the medium laying brood place an excluder temporarily between the medium and the deep. Let the brood hatch out of it. Then remove the deep and the excluder. Add mediums as needed to help the queen continue to lay brood.
Sincerely,
Brendhan
Thanks Brendhan: I had it figured out all wrong, I was just going to put Bee Quick on, to drive them down onto the Permacomb, and just have them start from the get go.
Ronnie,
Brendhan's plan is what I would suggest too. One thing to watch for though is that they don't raise a new queen in the deep once you lock the queen in the medium with the excluder. Excluders are good at causing them to raise a queen if you have open brood on the side of the excluder with no queen.
Should there be top and bottom entrances for the drones?
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesferal.htm#moving
Quote from: bassman1977 on February 12, 2008, 10:47:37 PM
QuoteMy existing brood hives are in deeps, how do I, and what time of year is it best to change them over to Illinois supers using Permacomb?
Pardon my ignorance but what is an Illinois super?
Some people also call it a Western super but that is incorrect. An Illinios or Medium super is 6 7/8 whereas a Western super is 7 7/8. The only major suppler that offers Westerns is Mann lake.