Do bees prefer the low chamber for brood?

[ccorral]

All the books I have read call the lower box "the brood chamber" while the one above is called "the food chamber"
Is it because the queen "prefer" to lay the eggs in the lower box? If so, is it because it is closer to the entrance and have better ventilation?
Given the choice, will the queen lay in one or the other?
Is it because the lower box is the first one and the queen is "used to it"?
Thanks for answering,
Carlos

[Clayton]

Hi Carlos,

I use three deep brood chambers. A food chamber can be a brood chamber also. It only depends on the function at the time of need. I have found that queens will lay in all three boxes. But over the course of the season the honey fills in and the queen is pushed down to the lower box(es). I just open up and she lays again. Come late in the season the upper brood chamber(s) fill in with pollen and honey and then there function is a food chamber. The management lies in how you as the beekeeper manipulate the brood space based on the season.

Clay

[Michael Bush]

It also depends on the time of year. The queen and the cluster move up all winter and often end up in the top box come spring and the queen starts laying there because that's where they all are. Usually you move this one back down to the bottom when you check the hives in the spring. I think there is a tendancy for them to put the brood chamber near the entrance. When running top bar hives and other trough type hives they tend to put the brood chamber near the entrance.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

I have found that queens will lay in all three boxes. But over the course of the season the honey fills in and the queen is pushed down to the lower box(es). I just open up and she lays again.

This is called "honey bound" is it not? I understand that this condition will dictate where the queen can move to. Please explain what you do when you "open up".
Thanks, Bill

[Clayton]

Hi Bill,

This is called "honey bound" is it not? I understand that this condition will dictate where the queen can move to. Please explain what you do when you "open up".

reply:

To Open up I take the five center combs or so of the plugged brood chamber(s). Switch them with 5 empties from the honey supers. This gives the queen a place to lay. I should say here that I use no chems to contaminate the combs in the brood chambers. In the event that no drawn combs are available add foundations baiting the box with brood from below in a every other frame type manner. So you have foundation, brood, foundation, brood........ but only the center, leave the honey and pollen to the sides as they naturally occur. Then extract the honey and use the combs to bait a super or where ever needed.

Clay

[Michael Bush]

This is what I do also, but it requires you use at least some of the same size boxes for supers as for brood chambers. So plan ahead.