are they crowded or not...

[SteveSC]

I have 8 hives that I just extracted honey from about 2 weeks ago.

4 of the hives are double deeps and 4 are single deep with a full super of honey for the winter. All the hives are in good shape - strong hives.  We've had some cool weather for the past 7 to 10 days - down in the lower 50s at night  - 72 or so for highs.   It's just warmed up again to the mid 80s.  

The bees are very busy trying to ready for winter..  During the cooler weather I diddn't notice any crowding on the outside of the hives nor in the two (2) 1.25" vent holes in the top deeps.  Now the weather has warmed again and the bees are hanging out of the vent holes and\or 2" deep on the porches of a few of the hives ( 2 double deeps and 1 single with super ).  

Did the warm weather cause them to act crowded all over the outsides of the hives or did consolidating them down from supers full of honey prior to extracting to what they need for the winter cause an over crowded situation..?  I might be concerned for nothing but any advise will be appreciated.  About how much decrease in population can you expect in the winter ..?   Maybe the warmer weather causes them not to all go inside the hives in the evenings and the just seem to be crowded..  Thanks...........................

[Brian D. Bray]

The warmer weather will cause the bees to move further apart thus bearding on the outside of the hive.  As the older bees die off going into winter this well happen less and less.  It is common after honey harvest as more bees are crammed into less space.  In the heat of summer when the hive is strong and populated it happens because of the heat and also to make room within the hive to do certain chores like fanning--moving the air to evaporate the moisture from the nectar.
One item useful in prventing this is a slatted rack--it works wonders in increasing the productivity of the hive.

[SteveSC]

Thanks Brian...   I had some cypress so I made a bunch of top syrup feeders with #8 hardware cloth today.  I'll be making the slatted racks in a day or two.

In your opinion do you think I should break down my established hives and install slatted racks on them...?   I'm going to add to the # number of hives I have and I know te new ones WILL have the slatted racks....just wondering about the ones I already have..  


Steve in SC

[Brian D. Bray]

I use a 2 slatted rack on all my hives--above and belown the brood chambers.  I would suggest you put some on a couple of your hives and then observed the difference in the behavior of the bees between the hive that have them and those that don't.  I'd venture to guess that if you do that that by next fall every hive you have will have slatted racks.

[SteveSC]

Brian.... you say that you use 2 slatted racks on your hives  --  above and below the brood chambers.  

Are the two slatted racks oriented the same way in both locations...( slats up )...?

Did I understand you right that you said the bottom rack stays on all the time and the upper rack is put in place in the spring and removed before winter set in....?  

Do you agree that the rack can take the place of the queen excluder if one had been used in the past...?  

Seems to me it would make the excluder obsolete.  Thanks..

Steve in SC

[Brian D. Bray]

>>you say that you use 2 slatted racks on your hives -- above and below the brood chambers.
Correct/

>>Are the two slatted racks oriented the same way in both locations...( slats up )...?

they are oriented the same but I use a rack of my own design.  Make it from 1X2's and 1 inch doweling that runs the same directions as the frames.  
The 1 inch is a little less the the width of a drawn comb so mites and other parasites and particles fall can fall all the way through the hive from top to bottom and out the SBB.

>>Did I understand you right that you said the bottom rack stays on all the time and the upper rack is put in place in the spring and removed before winter set in....?

Again, Correct.

>>Do you agree that the rack can take the place of the queen excluder if one had been used in the past...?

I don't have queen excluders--just slatted racks. so the answer is yes.

>>Seems to me it would make the excluder obsolete.

Not completely, there is nothing better for keeping a queen in the hive than an excluder below the brood chamber yet above the bottom board. I reecommend this when doing cutouts or to retain swarms that might abscond.  But I can't do cutouts anymore due to physical limitations.