Good evening everyone. I just reread MB's section on swarm prevention. I also just made 2, 8 frame hives into 5. So, my question really has to do with the rest of this year and next year. How early is too early to open the brood nest? Also The bees still had about half of an 8 frame medium box that they had not drawn out (bottom of three). So, I guess that I am still a little confused about space management in the Spring.
Did you take 2 8f hives and make 5 splits? You may be stretching it too thin. Maybe not, your flow is probably on right now.
> How early is too early to open the brood nest?
Good question. I added this to the page:
When to open the brood nest
It?s best to do this as early as they can fill the gap, where you want to put the empty frame, with festooning bees before they start getting ?honey bound.?
This should be done anytime in the spring when the nights are no longer frosty and when you observe the brood nest getting clogged with honey and the brood nest contracting instead of expanding, while the population of bees is peaking and before they start building swarm cells.
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesswarmcontrol.htm#when
Michael, would you do this also in the fall when you have a hive that is booming and a flow on?
Mick
Started with 2, 8 frame medium hives each in 2.5 boxes. Ended up with 5 hives total. Put at least one capped queen cell, 2 frames of brood, and one frame of honey and pollen into the 3 splits. In the original hives, I moved half of the frames into the top box and added empty frames in their place. I didn't disturb the half drawn bottom box. A thunder storm had just passed through, and it was already starting to get dark.
>Michael, would you do this also in the fall when you have a hive that is booming and a flow on?
Not here. If there is a fall flow they are busy storing it, not preparing to swarm. I can't say what they do in Brisbane...