When should I add another brood box?

[Monkadelic]

Hi everyone, I hope your bees are all doing as well as mine seem to be!

I started with one hive last November that boomed this spring (we'll call this Hive #1). I am working on requeening them (can't find her, tried three times in the last ten days). I ended up splitting so as to give the new queen who had already arrived a hive of her own, with the intent of eventually combining. The split seems to be building up; they took on TWO 52 oz buckets of syrup since I hived them on Thursday. I noticed some robbing behavior last night, so off went the bucket. I opened them up this morning and they looked good, queen sighted and LOTS of syrup in cells. They looked like they might become honeybound so I will not continue to feed them.

Hives #2 and #3 were started mid-June, with queens that I acquired while traveling. Hive #2 is in pretty good shape, I put another brood box on today as they had most of the frames built out and seemed to need some more room.

Hive #3, they have brood, and pollen, and LOADS of honey. I'm worried that they might become honeybound, as there are four frames not yet built out (and the six that are aren't built out completely) but it seems that they are crowding the broodnest with frames of honey and pollen. I moved some of the frames around to make sure there was some empty comb near the two frames of brood that were in there, but I'm not sure if I need to add another brood box or not. I know the standard 7/10 rule, but I'm wondering if it applies here!

I'm curious about the split as well. They have five frames that were brood or built comb, but the stores they have...Will they use that up and use the area for brood?

I have the equipment on hand, so if I need to add boxes I can.

Thanks everyone...

[psfred]

Open up the brood nest by putting your undrawn frames near it (swap the outside drawn frames for undrawn foundation). Repeat this when they draw out the undrawn frame until you have at least 7 drawn out, then add another super or brood box. I'd personally not add another super until you have frames full of brood in various stages anyway, as you will need more bees to fill up the new box.

Don't put more foundation in than they can use or properly patrol, or you will likely get wax moths instead of drawn frame.

You may need to feed to get them to draw out the frames if you don't have a honey flow on.

Peter

[Monkadelic]

Thanks, Peter. In that case I'll just move things around in there!

[Rick 1456]

My experience has been wax moths do not bother foundation. Having said that, bees sometimes will sometimes strip the wax coating to use for their own purposes.

[Monkadelic]

Thanks for the advice, Peter and Rick. I moved the frames around and it seems to be helping.

I have noticed that they are building more on one side, which happened to my first hive. It's not quite level, so I am going to shim it as well, as that worked for my first. I really need a new hive stand

[EastSideBuzz]

You can put undrawn between drawn and they will build it out better. Keep them packed in and then add a box. I wait until 8 are built out swap the outsides in 1 &10 to 2 & 9 make sure brood is not facing out in the outer slots.