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Switching from brood to honey storage.

3K views 13 replies 6 participants last post by  6470zzy 
#1 ·
I'm not sure how to frame this question so please bear with me; I'm trying to figure out when they are going to change from making brood to focus mainly on building honey stores.

This is a new TBH, 24 days old. Begun with a single package. Because they are starting from bare bars, I'm feeding vast quantities of 1:1 syrup.

Here's what I'm thinking: The queen had to wait until the workers began building comb, then began laying with the goal of having the maximum amount of foragers available for the height of the nectar flow. I don't know the composition of the package, but certainly there were foragers in there, so they were available to gather some pollen/nectar (if any was available 24 days ago). But the majority of the foragers won't be available until (45-24= 21) 21 days from now. Hopefully we will be able to take advantage of the flow.

I'm feeding and she's laying. At some point the hive is going to realize the natural flow is going to ease up some time in the future, so they can ease up on making brood. I'm interfering because I'm making 1:1 available. So, what will case the hive to switch emphasis from brood to storage? The vast number of foragers becoming available? - Mike
 
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#2 ·
A colony of bees is a super organism, not unlike you and I. The colony doesn't do one and then the other, it does both and much more at the same time. One can stimulate the other, but they do both at the same time. Like certain parts of your body doing different things all at once. You breath and pump blood, eat and digest, etc.

I hope that helps. Maybe you are asking something else?
 
#4 ·
This is a good answer, but doesn't quite capture the question. I like the "super organism" reference. Based upon absolutely nothing, I'm assuming there is a "clock" (perhaps the latitude of the sun) which causes various responses from the organism. And nothing will be "all or nothing" but the emphasis will shift to storing nectar/honey and I was wonder if it was that "clock" or some intell they observed from the environment. - Mike
 
#3 ·
Realizing that they will always be some level of bee rearing going on Mike is wanting to know when will the focus shift. I would imagine he wants to know so he can start either adding spacers or wider bars for the "honey" section. I know once I can get some bees again and they start building I will be curious when does that shift change.

I know later in the season and in winter bees live longer so they do not have to raise as much brood.
 
#8 ·
I think it has a lot to do with population dynamics in relation to the intensity of the flow. In my location I've had colonies expand the brood nest out to 22 bars before the honey barrier went up. At that point it depends if the flow continues or not whether they can back fill the existing combs and/or build new combs for strictly honey storage beyond the honey barrier.

The best thing to do is to learn your flow dates and watch what your bees are doing to see where the first full comb of honey starts.
 
#9 ·
The best thing to do is to learn your flow dates and watch what your bees are doing to see where the first full comb of honey starts.
Which is why some say TBH's are too much work. If you only have a 30 bar hive and they are on bar 22 with brood. you have to manage a little better their honey storage. Me personally I would rather be in there a little more often but do less work at a time.
 
#13 ·
>I'm feeding and she's laying. At some point the hive is going to realize the natural flow is going to ease up some time in the future, so they can ease up on making brood. I'm interfering because I'm making 1:1 available. So, what will case the hive to switch emphasis from brood to storage? The vast number of foragers becoming available?

It's a complex thing for a colony to make a decision. It is a combination of population, flow, time of year etc. And, as you say, you are interfering by feeding. If you keep feeding, my experience is they will backfill the brood nest and swarm. I would stop when they have some capped stores and there is nectar available.
 
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