Feeding and drawing out

Started by KONASDAD, April 24, 2007, 10:11:27 AM

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KONASDAD

I replaced old frames from both my hives w/ new foundation. About five frames each from two deep setups. I placed them in a way to utilize unlimited brood chamber method, moving some full frames and placing ny frames w/in brood area in both top and bottom deep. I added sugar water to both hive and used HBH for first time. One hive consumed 43 gal isince friday afternoon. The other hive none. The hive using the water has begun to draw out the new frames nicely, the other hive not at all. Ironically, it is my weak hive that is doing all of the work and I believe it may now be equal to the strong hive. What can i do to induce the hive which is not using sugar water to draw out the frames as my flow is about to begin. My apple trees are budded and maybe 10% in bloom. It would be nice to use all of the flow for honey, not construction like last year.
"The more complex the Mind, the Greater the need for the simplicity of Play".

mark

you haven't had bees long enough to worry about old frames yet.  if you took drawn frames out and replaced them with foundation you are just hindering their buildup. if they are both established hives they should not need feeding right now either.  you will wind up with adulterated honey.  jmo

thegolfpsycho

I have to agree with Mark.  I wouldn't be switching frames around unless you have fed them so much, they have no room for brood.  And I would probably have stopped feeding them as soon as the trees starting budding out unless they were very lite.  Unlimited broodnest means your are not restricting the queens laying space.  Sounds more like you are attempting to checkerboard them, which requires drawn comb I believe.

KONASDAD

I am feeding them b/c I want them to draw out the new frames, but only one hive is doing this. The other doesn't touch the syrup and has not made any new comb and the flow is about to begin in the next ten days or so if I figured corr3ctly.
"The more complex the Mind, the Greater the need for the simplicity of Play".