After winter what to do next?

laurabell · February 05, 2015, 08:18:03 AM

Hello,
I'm a first year beekeeper, this is my first winter of keeping bees. I know the bees move up in the hives. How do you get the queen back to the botttom hive to start the brood process again? I have a deep box on bottom and medium supers on top. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

jayj200 · February 05, 2015, 10:19:12 AM

are the plants flowering?
go to your local state collage and get their bee calender
this will tell ya what is flowering around you
abd some times what needs to be done in (for) the hive generally speaking
is the weather warm enough to open the hive?
if not do not.
just before the flow (weeks not days) then it will be time to invert the boxes
putting the top on the bottom and the bottom on the top. this is best with two of the same size boxes
when going in smash the hive Beatles on the top board look for mites and disease
has she started to lay drones?

bees know how to Be bees

laurabell · February 05, 2015, 04:18:22 PM

thanks for the response but this is my catch, i just have one deep box, they have moved up into a med super, do I put the med super on the bottom ? and put the deep on top of that? I have access to another deep, but how to get the bees in the medium super into the deep box is what i'm having trouble understanding.

buzzbee · February 05, 2015, 06:58:41 PM

The bees will move back down as nectar starts to come in. They will start storing it in the top. Just be sure they don't overfill the bottom box with pollen if they have a strong source for it.
Most likely you will not have a problem, with that.
Some beeks like to rotate the boxes when the nectar flow starts,but I would rather let them move down on their own unless I see one not progressing to lower boxes.

Packrat3wires · March 19, 2015, 11:43:21 PM

I would suggest buying another couple of hive bodies. I am a big believer in 2 hive body setups with supers on during the flow. If you do it now the hive bodies can be ready when the flow kicks in and they will draw out the hive comb. Then put the supers back on later in the seasons. It will cut down on your honey this year but will set you up for the future. Good luck

mikecva · March 20, 2015, 12:59:06 PM

I run all mediums (because it is easier on my back). I do not rotate boxes (I let the bees set up house their way not mine.) A fellow beek here will find the frame the queen is on and move it and the two adjacent frames to the bottom box in order to get the bees down. I have not had problems with the bees not moving down, only with them not wanting to always clean out all the dead bees (they have been leaving them at the bottom for my to scrape out.)

-Mike

10framer · March 21, 2015, 09:39:14 AM

i'd add another deep. when the lows start leveling out in the lower 50's i'd pull some brood frames from the top deep and center them in the bottom one and place the foundation on the outside of the upper deep. as soon as the flows come on they'll finish out the deeps fast and at that point you'll need to add supers.

OldMech · March 22, 2015, 07:57:52 PM

Quote from: laurabell on February 05, 2015, 08:18:03 AM
Hello,
I'm a first year beekeeper, this is my first winter of keeping bees. I know the bees move up in the hives. How do you get the queen back to the botttom hive to start the brood process again? I have a deep box on bottom and medium supers on top. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

Usually they will move down on their own if you do not want to reverse.. I do reverse, and I do use all mediums for the convenience and weight..
You can reverse with two deeps. provided you do so when the bees are in the TOP deep, and have not extended the brood into the top of the bottom deep.. Dont split your brood.. Usually they will move down on their own. I have had a few occurrences of the bees staying in the top, and SWARMING because they thought they were overcrowded.. even though the bottom box was EMPTY.... so I prefer to reverse.. Your bees/ climate/situation may prove to be different.