I want to start building up a stronger population for a bigger cluster this winter. Can I open the brood nest by checker boarding the nest with drawn comb? The flow is pretty much over where I am and the laying seems to have slowed down a good bit.
Without food coming in, it would not help. A good queen stops laying when the flow stops.
If really want to do it you will need to feed 1 to 1 sw.
Jim
We live in a temperate area and in Autumn we find the queens slow down as the daily temp starts to fall a bit. Very hard to get them to open up again once they decide Winter is on its way.
We have put a hive mat on top of the QX with a small gap, 3/4 inch to allow access to the honey in the super, varied results but some queens have maintained a reasonable brood nest through winter, while others haven't. May be dependant on how far the Autumn brood decline has progressed when the mat was put on.
If you start feeding every day they may think the flow is on and expand. However, they may swarm instead.
If nothing is coming in they probably won't draw comb. If you feed constantly that would get them to draw comb, but also may cause them to swarm. If you feed until it runs out, wait a day or two and then feed again that might work. Keep an eye on them if you decide to do that.
I have some frames with drawn comb in them already. Would that help me any? Or are you guys implying that they need to draw there own? Thanks for the replies
Try it for a couple weeks to see what they do. My questions are is there undrawn frames in there now? Will you be replacing undrawn with drawn?
Those are some of my questions as well. I have empty frames with foundation, as well as some frames with drawn comb on them. I was wanting somebody to tell me what they'd do if they were me and had the options that I have.
Quote from: Fishing-Nut on July 23, 2017, 10:56:47 AM
I want to start building up a stronger population for a bigger cluster this winter.
Ok - maybe that's what
you want - but is it what the bees have in mind right now ? Bees are a bit like cats - unlike dogs and horses you can't impose your will on them - they'll do what
they want to do and in their own time. The 'trick' to managing bees is inducement - to give them a reason to behave as you wish, but in their best interests of course.
Simply inserting another comb into the brood nest may or may not achieve more brood - indeed, they may even resent an interference to the otherwise stable comb situation which they've created.
If I was faced with this situation, then I'd either a) leave well alone, or b) insert a fully-drawn comb at the side of the brood nest - that way, the bees will themselves decide to either enlarge the brood nest, or move stores into that comb from elsewhere. But - it will be
their choice.
I'd be careful with feed at this stage - fairly small amounts every few days is what I'd give (if anything), as a constant supply of light syrup may fool them into thinking that a second flow has started, with unpredictable results.
LJ
"I want to start building up a stronger population for a bigger cluster this winter. Can I open the brood nest by checker boarding the nest with drawn comb? The flow is pretty much over where I am and the laying seems to have slowed down a good bit."
Adding to what has already been said, I can tell you what you want wont just happen without work in, as has been said, "providing inducement".
I am at odds with the whole bee feeding concept as an expansion mantra
as I know what many others realise in that it takes much more than a swig of sugar and "musical chairs" in frame placement to grow a colony, funnily enough bees know this also.
The "work" comes from *you* as the apiarist "chasing the flow".
This means a whole new world in beekeeping in stepping outside of your yard to provide the inducement for bees to work flora and so expand every day conditions allow.
It's hard work and often darn inconvienent when conditions sixty mile from you demand your attendance. But migratory does work in satisfying what your posting wants to know.
Cheers.
Bill
I routinely put foundation between brood frames in the nest. I won't do it on a weak hive and I only use foundation that has been redipped in wax. Works for me. You might have to feed them and that could be a problem with brood growth that can't be sustained over fall/winter. But here in Florida we have a decent fall flow.