View Full Version : Brood Question
I have a 2 deep hive that I haven't opened in a month (been concentrating on my weak one). Today it was 72 degrees so I decided to take a look. When I removed the top deep I noticed 3-4 cells with larve on the top bars of the first deep. They were torn open when I removed the top deep.
I would think this meant the brood nest was crowded. However we are expecting colder temps starting tomorrow and I am afraid if I replace some frames with foundation I'll chill alot of brood.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks
Patrick
peggjam
02-03-2006, 02:05 PM
You could just leave them bee for now, or reverse the hivebodies. I still think it is too early to checkerboard, you really need to wait for stable weather. If it is really bothering you, you could slip a frame or two into your weak hive, and some empty frames in their place.
Thanks for the reply. I've only had these hives for about 4 months and they are the first bees I've kept so I just wanted to know if it was a major problem or something that could wait . I'm planning on splitting this hive in april/may so I guess having alot of brood is a good problem to have.
Thanks again!
Patrick
MountainCamp
02-03-2006, 04:09 PM
They build comb between boxes and frames all of the time. This is not unusual nor does it signal that they are over crowded.
They may simply be located at the top of the bottom box and the bottom of the top box.
iddee
02-03-2006, 05:39 PM
My experience has been that most burr comb larva are drones. They will do that even when they are not crowded. With the arctic blast we are expecting this next week, I would not open the broodnest. They are predicting in excess of 6 inches of snow and below normal temps. this month and I am not that far from you.
iddee
02-03-2006, 05:40 PM
My experience has been that most burr comb larva are drones. They will do that even when they are not crowded. With the arctic blast we are expecting this next week, I would not open the broodnest. They are predicting in excess of 6 inches of snow and below normal temps. this month and I am not that far from you.
drobbins
02-03-2006, 06:13 PM
iddee,
where you getting your weather forecast?
I knew it was gonna turn into winter but I hadn't heard anything about snow
Dave
Michael Bush
02-03-2006, 07:29 PM
They want to build drone comb somewhere and when you use foundation everywhere the only open place they can find is often between the boxes.
Craig W.
03-08-2006, 09:07 AM
Michael are you saying that if one does not use foundation everywhere that this will not happen?
Thanks,
Craig
P.S. I will be using strips of foundation on my frames, should I offset each strip from the other or keep them lined up or does it not matter, as far as the bees building foundation is concerned?
ScadsOBees
03-08-2006, 01:55 PM
If you use starter strips, they will draw out the drone comb that they need right in the frames.
I am not sure what you mean by offsetting the strips, I think that you would just leave them lined up, centered in the frames, I presume.
iddee
03-08-2006, 05:42 PM
Dave, we had an idiot weather man bet that we would have 6 inches of snow in Feb., or he would let himself be dunked in a dunking tank of ice water. They had a big show and Bobby Labonte got to throw the ball to dunk him.
FordGuy
03-08-2006, 09:20 PM
poor guy probably had to do it to get PR for his station....
Michael Bush
03-10-2006, 09:02 AM
>>They want to build drone comb somewhere and when you use foundation everywhere the only open place they can find is often between the boxes.
>Michael are you saying that if one does not use foundation everywhere that this will not happen?
Anything CAN happen, but the bees have less motivation to find places to build drone comb when they have enough already. It will happen less.
>I will be using strips of foundation on my frames, should I offset each strip from the other or keep them lined up or does it not matter, as far as the bees building foundation is concerned?
I don't understand what you mean by "offset". If you want to do starter strips I would cut them about 3/4" wide the full length and put them in the top bar either with the cleats (if it is a "wedge top bar") or with wax (if it's a wedge top bar with the wedge not broken out or a grooved top bar). If they run the full length (which they should) how do you "offset" them?