Disregard please!

[Mklangelo]

Please disregard!

[Finsky]

When you hive has 5 frame, you should have no reason to prevent swarming.

That hive need food one frame. It is enough for two rainy weeks. When your look your hive every week, don't be afraid that food will be finish.

Hive is able to make more combs when new bees hatched enough. Don't try to force them draw combs, because they cannot to do it but they fill hive with syrup.

Bee are able to use only combs which they occupye. If food is too much, take that comb away to store and give foundation instead.

One full brood frame produces 2-3 frames bees. When that happens, hive is ready to enlarge. To that point, just look that hive has no too much food which stops queen's laying.

If that colony has too much empty space (half box) it hinders colony's build up.  I would say that one inoccupied frame is enough for small colony. Limit extra space with wall.

If you start with swarm or with package, half of bees will die before new bees hatch. Don't hurry with enlarging.

Here is mine 5 frame colony after winter. I put there terrarium heater. Look restriction of space.

I have every summer about ten 3-5 frame mating nucs.
I never feed them.
I give to them first a food store, pollen and honey and then they find food  themselves.
Only what I watch for is that they do not fill hive with honey. So they never swarm.
If queen is too good, I may take brood frames and give that to bigger hive that new queen get new laying room.

But you cannot force them draw foundations outside brood area. Bees draw combs if cells are full honey, and catastrofhe is ready.

[Mklangelo]

Thanks Finsky,

I didn't think they would have reason to swarm with so many undrawn frames and population still dwindling.  I didn't understand when you said:   "When your look your hive every week, don't be afraid that food will be finish."