Hive that never moves out of bottom box - how to transition to mediums?

[tillie]

I have a hive that I haven't been able to transfer to all medium boxes because the bees never move out of the bottom box over the winter.  This is the third winter and I believe (I'll know today for sure) that they again never moved out of the bottom box.  The hive wintered in a deep and one medium box. 

I've been trying to think about how to convince these bees that they should be in medium boxes for me.  One thought I have is that if I see the queen in the medium box, I could put a queen excluder between her and the bottom deep.  She could continue to lay in the medium and as the hive builds up for spring I could continue to add medium boxes.

If I do that, will the workers continue to care for the brood in the bottom box?

Any other ways/ideas to accomplish moving this hive out of the deep?

Thanks as always for your help.

Linda T in Atlanta

[Michael Bush]

Pull all the frames that are either empty or honey or pollen (not brood) and put some mediums in their place.  When they queen has them layed up, move them up above an excluder along with the queen.  After the brood has emerged in the deeps, remove the box.

Or just do a complete cut out.

[JP]

So Linda, you are saying the queen has never moved up to lay at all? If so, it could also be poor genetics.

I have seen a few, a very few colonies that no matter what you offered them would stay tiny.

Perhaps best to requeen a colony like this or do a combine and use the dud queen as swarm lure.


...JP

[tillie]

No, this is one of my best hives ever - the queen does well.  This hive even produced honey last year when no other one did.  They appear to be building up, but it hasn't been warm enough when I'm home to open them yet.  It's just that this hive has for the last two years wintered in the deep rather than moving up.  During the year they move up fine and I find brood in the fourth box as well as the three below.

Linda T in Atlanta

[iddee]

Don't make unnecessary work. When you find the queen, put an excluder on the deep and put her above it. Any time after 24 days, the brood has emerged and you can remove the deep.

[tillie]

So glad I asked the question because I got such good answers and suggestions.  As it turns out, when I finally was able to open my hives (today) in both hives the bees were no longer using the bottom box so I got rid of the deep (Hooray) but if it happens another year, I now know what to do.

Linda T in Atlanta