New Hive New Beekeeper

Guy · May 03, 2011, 01:03:43 PM

I started two hives in March. They have covered nearly every frame with brood or stores. To insure a good over wintering should I put on another deep for more brood or a super? If a super how much honey can I safely take?

Guy Ross NE Alabama

VolunteerK9 · May 03, 2011, 01:38:46 PM

With a double deep, next year you could split one hive to make yourself two. If thats not what your after, 1 full medium or 2 shallows would be sufficient for over wintering.

With your area not too far into the Spring flow, I think I would go ahead and put another deep on top.

Do you have any drawn comb or all foundation?

Guy · May 03, 2011, 02:56:22 PM

All I have to add is just foundation.

Brian D. Bray · May 04, 2011, 04:18:07 PM

To clarify:
You want to dedicate 2 deeps or 3 mediums as your basic hive, the all year around brood chamber and winter quarters.
Anything above that can be harvested as a honey crop. Just make sure that you harvest your honey crop leaving sufficient time for your bees to back fill 90%+ of the brood chamber with winter stores.
Harvest no later than mid September or before the last honey flow of consequence to insure your bees can forage sufficient stores without having to feed them. Bees winter much better on honey than they do on syrup.

Guy · May 04, 2011, 05:08:04 PM

so then Brian with the two deeps as a brood chamber they will store enough there to over winter. Or is the 90% they should replace is what I robbed. Thanks for answering a some times thick headed newbee.

sc-bee · May 04, 2011, 06:48:30 PM

Which part of Alabama ---- Northern or Southern? Do you even have a fall flow, I don't, two spring months and it's over. As Brian said it depends on your ending flow.

Most folks I know around my parts do not run two deeps, unless they plan to split the deeps in the spring. The configuration here is usually one deep and one-two shallows for stores into winter. It really doesn't matter the size of the box, if a queen needs it to lay in she will if you do not run excluders and I don't (I run free roaming queen).

Then you get to the controversy about brood in the honey supers, or honey supers that have had hatched brood in them, also susceptibility to wax moths after brood have been laid in supers. Alot of it is a matter of preference except about the wax moths. No I separate my brood frames as I run the honey, I do not mix brood in my honey. Cocoons in comb--- well alot of varmits in a hive.

Year before last I wintered with a deep and one shallow and it was not enough. This year with a deep and two shallows and too much, but better to be safe than sorry. The last two years I have had no back filling due to large brood hatches in the fall after the flow was gone. I either have to feed to allow backfilling or leave more honey.

Ask a local beekeeper for particulars about winter needs.

I guess by now I have gone way overboard on this reply :-D

Guy · May 04, 2011, 10:17:51 PM

I'm in NE Alabama and don't know about a fall flow. I put another deep on one hive with a medium on top with a queen excluder and plan to do another tomorrow. I may do a split in the spring. So the double deep should have enough stores to over winter right?

sc-bee · May 04, 2011, 10:46:02 PM

As Brian Said,
>You want to dedicate 2 deeps or 3 mediums as your basic hive, the all year around brood chamber and winter quarters.

Should do you fine. I probably would not even get two deeps in my area on a new package without heavy feeding. If you get two deeps and a medium sounds like you are ahead of the game and in good shape.

I would let them draw the second deep of foundation before I added the medium.

preston39 · May 04, 2011, 10:58:48 PM

Quote from: sc-bee on May 04, 2011, 10:46:02 PM
......I would let them draw the second deep of foundation before I added the medium.

==============
SC..,
Please explain this....'let them draw'............ in layman's terms

Thanks,

Guy · May 05, 2011, 08:51:42 AM

drawing wax is the formation cells for brood of stores. Maybe I have that right. After putting on the second deep followed by the medium that was already on the hive I put my ear to the boxes and they were all buzzing. If I don't make too many rookie mistakes this is going to be a great start up experience. Thank you for your ideas and comments.

sc-bee · May 05, 2011, 05:41:49 PM

Guy has it right!

You will hear folks refer to drawn comb or foundation. Drawing comb is when the bees are drawing or pulling out the individual cells for the queen to lay in or drawing comb out to deposit honey. Comb that has already been drawn out (usually after extraction is referred to as drawn comb. Of course you can also have drawn out brood comb from other hives etc.

For bees to draw comb they either need feeding or a flow and the bees need to have the capability in order to secrete wax from their wax glands. When bees are drawing alot of wax they usually festoon, which is gathering together and forming globs and chains with one another.