I bought a nuc last Spring '08. I started them in a deep box and then put a medium on when they were near full in the deep. By the end of Summer both boxes were full of bees. I put on a shallow super to give them more room for stores for the Winter. Going into November the medium box and shallow box were near full of stores. I checked on them today and the cluster was primarily in the medium box. I wish I had put a medium box on instead of the shallow, but can't go back now. I would like to have a deep and two mediums for the brood area. If I put the medium on the bottom and another medium with just foundation on that would I need to hold the deep to go on top until the medium is drawn out with comb? I think I have them in good shape to really boom this Spring now that I have drawn comb to start with. I just wasn't sure if they would jump or bypass the middle medium with just foundation and go to the deep with drawn comb on top.
Another question: What would be the optimum number of medium frames, with brood and bees, to do a walk away split.
Mark
When the honey flow starts, they will fill from the top down. If you want them to draw comb, put that box on top.
QuoteAnother question: What would be the optimum number of medium frames, with brood and bees, to do a walk away split.
what kind of split do you want to do? If you have one hive and are splitting it a walk away split is pretty much taking 1 or the 2 brood boxes and placing it on another stand. The box without the queen will make their own.
In a normal split you're moving about 1/3 the frames and bees into another hive body. Another way is to rob 1 or 2 frames from each of several hives and creating a combined split. This leaves the original hives much stronger while still increasing your hive numbers.
I'll probably try to find the old queen and move 3-4 frames of bees and brood to another box. The old queen hive will be relocated to simulate a swarm.
Mark