Need your 2 cents on honey bound hive.

[avesterfelt]

I have a hive that is looking honey bound and wanted to get your 2 cents.

The hive was a split from early in April and put into 8 frame equipment. I put a super on 2 weeks ago and apparently they filled it faster than I though they would. It was all un-drawn and I figured it would give me some time to get more boxes built. I was wrong. They are back filling the brood nest with nectar and its mixed in with the brood.

My concern is losing them to swarm, so here is what I did and the 2 options I was thinking about. I would appreciate any thoughts just to ease my mind. Since this is the first time I have gotten behind on a hive.

I added a super with 2 frames already drawn and the rest un-drawn. I took 3 of the frames of honey (not all capped) and put those in the new super. Then put the rest in the existing super and placed that on the very top. I also took out one deep frame (foundationless) from another hive and put it in the center of the brood nest. (This frame was 70% drawn and has some young larva but were about 50% open cells) The frame that I pulled was mostly nectar with a few emerging brood.

Also I saw no swarm cells in this hive.

Should I leave everything and just hope they make the adjustments?

Or should I take the 8 frame equipment and put it all into 10 frame until they can get thing sorted out, then move it back to the 8 frame later this year?

My concern is mostly that I do not know if putting un-drawn foundation or foundationless will solve the issue of having all the cells filled with nectar?
(I did a bunch of splits this year and am lacking drawn deep comb)

Sorry to be so long on my post, just want to make sure to give info to make a sound decision. Thanks again for any input.

[robherc]

My recommendation would be to put 3 more foundationless, or undrawn foundation frames in the brood box...make them draw out some new comb for the queen to lay in.
Also, according to M. Bush & many others, placing un-capped nectar stores next to un-drawn frames often results in the existing comb being drawn too wide, and locking a few frames together on you . Might want to put the un-drawn frames under, or in, the brood nest to get the bees started drawing them out, or at least use capped honey frames as the "ladder" to get them working that empty super.


...just my $0.02, but hey, you asked for it!

[avesterfelt]

Thanks for the 2 cents, I could go back in tonight after work and take a frame out so they have the extra space to build and not have the worry of tearing them when I pull for extraction. I have not had that problem, but I also move the frames around as they fill so maybe it has just been good fortune.

[avesterfelt]

Thanks for the 2 cents, I could go back in tonight after work and take a frame out so they have the extra space to build and not have the worry of tearing them when I pull for extraction. I have not had that problem, but I also move the frames around as they fill so maybe it has just been good fortune.

I was referring to taking a frame out of the super to have 7 instead of 8. Just wanted to clarify that for anyone who was readin

[avesterfelt]

I did not get a chance to go back into the hive. I got a call about a swarm so I ran out to get that which the guy said left about 5 minutes before I got there. So if anyone else has there 2 cents I will be checking my other hives on Sunday and will at min be pulling a frame from the super with the stores so they have the extra room to build out.

[honeyman46408]

Put super on under the one they are working one then watch and put another on before they get that one done give them something to do NO LOAFING ALLOWED

My 2¢

[avesterfelt]

NO LOAFING ALLOWED

Lesson learned.

I split this year to get more hives and was not counting on the length of the flow. Figured I’d be lucky to get the deeps all drawn and filled. I was wrong with this hive for sure.

I called an old beekeeper this morning and he seemed to think that as long as they have room, drawn or un-drawn should not matter.

I’m going to leave it with the 2 deep, the new empty, and the old almost full on the top and then check in a couple days to make sure they are moving the stores and not building swarm cells. If they are I will just have another hive.

Thanks again, never had a hive back filling the brood nest like this and was not sure if my instincts were right.