top box

[AndersMNelson]

I caught a swarm a couple of weeks ago and put it in a super.  I wanted to encourage the queen to stop laying in the super and move into the deep I got later, so I put the super on to of the deep.  BUuuuuttt, all of the bees have stayed in the super, and haven't drawn out any comb in the deep.  EHH?

[buzzbee]

Bees will be reluctant to move off of the brood.You may want to leave that box on the bottom and the bees will move up into the deep when they need the space. They will not move off of the brood until it emerges.

[doak]

You have to do it the other way.
Bees and the queen will not leave the brood.
Put your deep on top and when they get up in it working good, then flip-flop the two.
10 days after you switch, the brood in the super will all be capped and about half will be hatched.
Then you can put another deep on if that is what you want.
"CAUTION" If you do not want to work with deeps, put the super back on bottom and add another, then when ready, the third. It is said 3 medium supers = 2 deep.
The only draw back, when you get ready to reverse brood boxes, be careful not to split the "BroodNest".
I have seen one with half in one super and half in the other, this is when you have to keep these two as they are, you would put those two on bottom and the one on bottom, on top.
Clear?
You may want to do as some others are doing, go medium all the way.
I am going to change to the spread method, all deep on bottom, 20 + frames wide, then use mediun honey supers.
My back doesn't like this 6 and 7 boxes high. Even a shallow is too heavy when head high.
doak

[AndersMNelson]

Okay, thanks for the info.  I'll switch em next time.

[Kathyp]

i think, no matter where you put the new box, most of the time they'll move when they need room.  not always though.....i had a hive doing just to opposite of yours and had to move the second deep to the bottom.  they are now working it fine.  make a certain kind of sense.  they build comb from top to bottom, seems they'd work boxes from top to bottom also, but what do i know  :-)  the other hive moved UP with no problem!