question from volcano island

[clover]

Greetings, All. Clover here.

Since there is nobody in my original deep brood box, that had a Q excluder on it for a long time (old Q must have died...) and all the big action is now in its middle box, I'm assuming around a new queen, ***may I remove that bottom deep that has the old, dark comb in it, and replace it with a new one while I fix the old one up?

My split was successful. I made two. But the girls I put in the new, deep box, with Q cells, food and brood, all moved house into the nuc where I put the second batch. I guess they know what they're doing. **I'm suspecting that a Q is in there? ***Can I keep em in there? For how long, do you think?

Thanks,

CLOVER

[Hobie]

Is there brood in the middle box? If not, you may not have a queen. I have a hive that was queenless and the workers were very busy gathering nectar nonetheless.

[Troy]

I have changed out equipment like this from time to time. If it were me.

1. I'd make sure that the queen and brood are present in the upper box.

2. I'd make sure that if I remove the bottom box, the bees won't be too compressed in the remaining boxes. If they will be too cramped then I change to plan b. If they fit I keep going.

3. I remove the old box and frames.

4. Take it home and clean it up and put new foundation in it.

5. Take the cleaned box and frames back to the hive and I'd leave the other box on the bottom and exchange one frame of young brood with a new empty frame. Install the renewed box and one frame of brrod above the active brood chamber and then place any other boxes back on top of that.

This does several things for the bees: 1) the brood comb provide a ladder for bees to climb up to the boxes above. 2) It provides a reason for bees to climb up there (feed the brood), and 3) It keeps the new box of foundation warmer and more likely to get those combs drawn out.

PLAN B

If they'll be too cramped, then I would take the frames out of the bottom box leaving the empty box on the bottom of the stack. (This way if they build any comb it will be easy to cut off the bottom)

Go home and make up a set of frames with new foundation THAT NIGHT. Go back out there the next day and put it back together much the same as I outlined above.