management of unlimited brood chamber

[FordGuy]

So there I am - suited up, hive tool in hand, lemongrass oil behind both ears, staring down a hive with three deeps and four supers. Each of the deeps has some brood in it, thanks to my application of my interpretation of my understanding of my reading of checkerboarding. (CB as the big dogs call it.)

Now what do i do? Do I dissassemble the three story behomoth, placing each deep on a cover so as not to loose a queen, then begin exchanging frames from one to the other? How does one do that without laying the boxes all out in front of you?

[Michael Bush]

>So there I am - suited up, hive tool in hand,

Good plan.

> lemongrass oil behind both ears,

Bad plan.

>Now what do i do? Do I dissassemble the three story behomoth, placing each deep on a cover so as not to loose a queen, then begin exchanging frames from one to the other? How does one do that without laying the boxes all out in front of you?

What exactly are you trying to exchange from one to the other. You have brood in three boxes. That's good. What are you trying to accomplish? But yes, if you need to get into all three, lay them all on something (lids, another box, a bottom board etc.) and do what you need to do.

[FordGuy]

well, if most of my brood is in the bottom box, with some (fewer frames) of brood in top and middle box, I am going to take brood from bottom box and disperse it through middle and top, while distributing brood comb into bottom (just an example, interchange middle for bottom, you get the point). lemongrass behind ears - kidding - it was bok choy.

[Michael Bush]

Once the bees have brood in that box they will expand the nest as they need to. If you really think it's congested somewhere, then go ahead and open it up. But I woulnd't mess with them too much without a very good reason. Baiting the brood nest up to the next box seems to be more needed in deeps since they seem to hesitate to move up sometimes. But you now have them with brood in three deeps right?

[FordGuy]

yes. Can I expect them to tend to expand once there is a frame or two of brood in each deep?

[Michael Bush]

>Can I expect them to tend to expand once there is a frame or two of brood in each deep?

Yes.