When do I place frames in empty brood chamber?

[Mklangelo]

My hives are all set up and awaiting my packages.  I have the empty deep on top in order to place the syrup inside of it. 

At what point should I remove the inner cover from between the deeps and insert frames in the upper box?

These frames are plasticell and  are all undrawn.


thanks!

[ChickenWing]

Wait until about 7-8 of the frames in the lower box are all drawn out.  If you add more on top too early, the bees will simply move upward, and leave the frames along the outside of the bottom box undrawn.   Same for when you add Honey supers.  7-8 drawn out and filled, add another super. 

[Michael Bush]

Don't leave them empty space.  They should have no access to the open space in the box above.  Put the inner cover on the box below, and put the empty box on that.  Set the feeder up so they can't get into the top box or they may move the whole cluster there and build their own comb.  They will always prefer their own comb to foundation and will go to some lengths to avoid the foundation if you let them.  ESPECIALLY plastic foundation.

[Mklangelo]

Don't leave them empty space.  They should have no access to the open space in the box above.  Put the inner cover on the box below, and put the empty box on that.  Set the feeder up so they can't get into the top box or they may move the whole cluster there and build their own comb.  They will always prefer their own comb to foundation and will go to some lengths to avoid the foundation if you let them.  ESPECIALLY plastic foundation.

I think I'll just use a Boardman Feeder and get rid of the upper box all together.  I was going to use this method:   http://www.nebees.com/package.htm  Which leaves a ton of space for the bees to enter the upper box and he's beats the heck out of the bees to install them.  Perhaps this guy is a hack?


thanks mike

[Michael Bush]

I wouldn't say he's a hack.  It may have worked for him, but I've seen a cluster move up and build wild comb in the top box when doing that.  You can take the jar and put it over the inner cover hole and fill the gap with some screen.  In fact, I like to put some #8 hardware cloth over the hole (on top) and then put the jar on that.  Then I can refill the jar without facing any bees and the bees can't get in the top.  I'm not fond of a boardman because of robbing.

[buzzbee]

We crumpled up newspaper around the feeder to take up the space around the feeder and help hold in some of the heat. No comb was built in the upper box. We use a quail feeder instead of a can with holes.