I smell a swarm a brewin'.....

[chefbeek]

Howdy all-
I have two double deep hives LOADED with capped brood and bees. I would say we are right on the edge of our main nectar flow. I tipped the top boxes yesterday and found a few swarm cells, uncapped, on the bottoms of the frames in the upper deep. After researching here I've decided to try a cut-down (I think I have this name right...) so I can still get some honey from these hives. I plan to set up two new deeps in the same yard and put all but one frame of open brood, some honey/pollen and the old queens in them. At the old hives I plan to leave one frame of open brood, all the capped brood and the remaining honey.

Here are the questions-first and formost, is the best course of action? Second-I don't have a supply of drawn comb yet, so should I just replace the frames I give to the new hive with frames of foundation? If so, where should I put them in the hive and in what sort of configuration in relation to the sealed brood and honey to maximize production?

Thanks a lot in advance everyone!
Chefbeek

[brooksbeefarm]

If you do this, be sure the frame you leave has open brood with 1 to 3 day old eggs or they won!t be able to raise another queen.Good luck.

[nc checkers]

You won't have to have eggs if you don't damage the swarm cells.

Another option is an artifical swarm.

IF you can find the old queen you can put her and one frame of emerging brood in a box with 9 frames of foundation and leave it in the place where the hive is now then move the rest of the hive away about 10` and turned 90° now all the field bees will return to the orginal place and they are suposed to think they have swarmed allready