opening brood area question

dprater · March 24, 2014, 06:29:56 AM

I have read a good bit about opening the brood area. Of course giving them space to lay it the key. I have 5 hives that are doing good one is about to bust (4 - 8 frame mediams, no Q cells yet). Last week I took two frames of caped brood, covered with bees and gave to a weeker hive, added two partly drawn out frames to 2 and 7 spot.

Could you do this as need and keep the brood area open this way or is there a problem I don't know about by doing this? I'm going for honey so will I weaking the hive if I do this again?

dan

sc-bee · March 24, 2014, 07:04:01 AM

Nothing wrong with the method. Or take the frames and make a new colony. You should have drones now as swarm season is beginning, As far as hurting your honey crop you should be good. Better than losing them to a swarm. Trying to remember where you are ..... Clemson or Columbia area? I should have white wax by next week if not already, Was hoping to look today weather permitting. Gets worse as the week goes on.

Edited: Or take the extra bees even if from several colonies, a frame with eggs crowd them in a nuc and make you some queens.

sc-bee · March 24, 2014, 07:07:52 AM

And if it were me I think I would go closer to the center than 2 and 7. Especially if they are as full as you say and run no risk of chilling brood Just my preference others may differ.

Jim134 · March 24, 2014, 09:02:04 AM

:th_thumbsupup:

IMHO
Keep open brood to the center of the brood nest less risk of chilling.....

BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

sc-bee · March 24, 2014, 12:36:14 PM

Quote from: Jim 134 on March 24, 2014, 09:02:04 AM
:th_thumbsupup:

IMHO
Keep open brood to the center of the brood nest less risk of chilling.....

BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

And moved the capped frames further out and empty frames closer to the center to open brood nest and be drawn.

10framer · March 24, 2014, 01:02:08 PM

i think there have been a couple of recent threads about checkerboarding recently. my understanding of that method s that you actually keep giving them room above the brood chamber so they will keep it open.
that being said, in really strong hives i take brood and the queen right before the flow and make up a nuc. this basically is a controlled swarm. it leaves the hive strong for the flow but gives them about a month with no new brood to take care of so they should maximize production during a strong flow (you must have drones to do this).
i also gain another hive with a proven queen. i take two brood frames, a honey/nectar frame and a pollen frame. i may or may not shake some extra nurse bees. if you take emerging brood you'll have plenty of nurse bees in a day or two. i put the foundation frames back in 2,3,8, and 9 spots depending on what's left or i put them in 2 and 9 in two boxes depending on the brood chamber configuration.
the flows down here start about the first of april and are very intense until about the first of june. after that not much seems to happen until goldenrod comes in unless you're near a cotton field or if sumac puts out. last year sumac bloomed and was covered in native pollinators but my bees ignored it. they say it does better in dryer years.

dprater · March 24, 2014, 09:51:56 PM

sc-bee I'm in Lexington a little west of Columbia. If or when I need to make more room I think I will make a nuc so I will have a extra Q if needed, I do have drones. Its going to be cold for the next few days, hopefully by the weekend I can go back in and look for Q cells and see what they are doing with the two frames I put in, quite interesting.

I'm in my third year and I get a little more relaxed each year. Having more hives to work with gives you lots more options. If you lose one and you have 5 hives or more no biggie, if you lose 1 hive and you only had 1 or 2 hives thats a biggie.

Thanks for the replies

dan