3rd brood chamber being filled

[diggity]

One hive I checked yesterday is filling up the 3rd deep with honey.  This is a very populous hive - I watched them for a while yesterday and saw flights arriving and departing more quickly than I could count them.  Upon inspection I see that they've now got:

Box D:  Medium  honey super.  Being filled pretty uniformly with honey.  None of it capped yet.
Box C:  New deep added 2-3 weeks ago.  Being filled uniformly with honey.  None of it capped yet.
Box B:  Deep in which they overwintered.  Checked for swarm cells, found none.
Box A:  Deep in which they overwintered.  Didn't check for swarm cells because they were getting pissy and I felt I had them open long enough.  May regret this decision!

No excluder is being used.  There seems to be a pretty significant nectar flow going on now because they are filling both Boxes C and D with honey. 

Anyway, my question is about Box C, which they seem to be using for honey storage.  I was concerned that they might get themselves honey bound.  I wasn't sure what to do, so I grabbed 2 frames from the sides of Box B.  These frames had a little brood and pollen, but were mostly empty.  I swapped these with 2 frames from the center of Box C.  Was this the right thing to do?  Should I add another deep, and if so, where?  Between B and C?  Or between A and B?  On bottom?  Just when I think I know what I'm doing, the bees remind me I'm really just a noob.   :-P

Thanks!

[Finski]

.
Add more empty combs.
Move full frames from brood boxes up and hive to queen empty combs.

Empty combs allways between brood and honey

to get one full box capped honey you need 2 box more where bees dry upp the nectar. Otherwise they use brood frames.

[Finski]

.
During good flow give foundations to be drawn. For example 5 frame/half box and put them into one group. Don't put them every two  with drawn combs.

[diggity]

Thank you for the reply Finski.  I'm not sure I completely understand though... If I add more empty frames, that implies that I have to take something out to make room for them.  What would I take out?  Or do you mean that I should add another whole super, perhaps between B and C?   :?

[Finski]

Thank you for the reply Finski.  I'm not sure I completely understand though... If I add more empty frames, that implies that I have to take something out to make room for them.  What would I take out?  Or do you mean that I should add another whole super, perhaps between B and C?   :?

If you do not have free combs, you must use fooundations.

Put foundation box above brood. Then move 4 founcations to next box and move from there 4 most empty combs to serve as bridge.

You may do too so that you take from brood box all hobet frames off, move them upwards and then 2 foundation between brood combs.

You may use old dark brood frames too as bridge, When bees emerge, cells will be filled with honey.

[Scadsobees]

Is your intent that the new deep be used as a 3rd brood box?

In my experience once the swarm period is past and they are putting the honey away fast up top, the worst swarm threat is past.  What I typically do when checking for swarming is to first take any non-brood boxes off, then tip back the top brood box so that you can see the bottom of the frames - that's where you'll see swarm cells if they exist - no need to pull all of the frames individually.  If you didn't see swarm cells, you are probably fine. 

One other thing I've found is if I do need to go through the whole brood chamber for some reason (usually only to catch the queen) - take all the boxes off and start your frame-by-frame in the bottom box,  and work your way up.  I find that by working my way down all the interuptions from the upper boxes really upsets the bottom boxes.

I think what finski is saying is that if you are using new foundation to swap some of the already drawn comb in one of the existing boxes with the foundation so that the bees have comb started in the new box rather than an empty box of foundation, they'll start working it quicker.

This time of year I like to keep at least one empty box on top - that way if I get busy one week they won't get bound as quickly.

Rick

[Finski]

In my experience once the swarm period is past and they are putting the honey away fast up top, the worst swarm threat is past.

I have only 50 years experience. Perhaps it has no value in US

If the hive has no swarm cells in upper brood box, it will not have in lower broods.

One other thing I've found is if I do need to go through the whole brood chamber for some reason (usually only to catch the queen) - take all the boxes off and start your frame-by-frame in the bottom box,  and work your way up.  I find that by working my way down all the interuptions from the upper boxes really upsets the bottom boxes.

??????

they'll start working it quicker.

Bees use the upper boxes all the time. They are not willing to go over empty foundations.

This time of year I like to keep at least one empty box on top

I never doo that.