[JamesYanco]

New bee keeper here with some questions.

Bees(3 pounds)have been in the hive for two weeks now. I feed them with a megabee Patti and a 2:1 sugar water. They seem to be taking the sugar water less and the megabee Patti is almost gone. I've had the same quart jar(boardman feeder)on now for four days with about half gone. Is it ok to stop feeding? All but one frame have been worked. Five of the center frame are drawn out real nice.

Also would it be ok to put the second hive body on and install a vertical slated rack? My area is Pennsylvania.

 

[honeybeekeeper]

When To Stop Feeding!
I have 2 new hives as well and i was told to keep feeding until they stop taking it on their own. so im still feeding mine. It might only be about a jar a week or alil longer but they are still taking it. Main thing is that your trying to build them up and every lil bit helps, i even went with the honey b healthy that you add 1-2 tsp to the feed!

Adding 2nd Deep Hive Body!
First box should be 80% full (8 frames out of 10 frames) the outter frames will be empty, you can move them in and then add the second box! Soon as you add the second box they will move right on up so you want to fill as much as you can in the first box! Good Luck!!!

 

[Ben Brewcat]

For a first-year colony on foundation, I'd keep offering syrup. You need to draw out as much foundation as you can into comb. Do switch to 1:1 syrup though, 2:1 is more for fall feeding to build up stores. 1:1 is closer to nectar, which stimulates wax secretion and brood buildup which is your goal right now. In my experience they'll eschew the syrup when there's a good nectar flow on, and access it when there's a dearth. As long as they're not being robbed (a risk with boardmans), keep offering syrup until both deeps (or three mediums) are drawn out.

What do you mean by all but one frame have been "worked"? As noted above, once 7 frames have been drawn add another box of foundation. You can probably leave off the patties; they can forage their own pollen now. Though it doesn't hurt anything, they'll just ignore it when there's real pollen around (like we ignore store-bought when I have homebrew on tap ).

 

[JamesYanco]

Let me start by saying "Thank you" for the replies posted above.

I have two 10 frame deep hive bodies. The first one I started the bees on plastic foundation with wooden frames. The second deep has wax foundation. Most of the frames have been drawn out with honey and broad. One or two frames have wax on them but are not fully drawn out.

A week age I added a medium deep super with plastic foundation. I noticed that the bees will not work it. I am feeding with a 1:1 mix with HBH added. I have two shallow supers ready to go with wax foundation. The supers are spaced nine frames in a ten frame box.

My question is:

Should I swap out the medium for a shallow or should I just wait and see if the bees eventually start to work the pl;astic in the medium super?

 

[jajtiii]

I feed until they draw out their home (which is two deep's for me.)

I would not swap the deep and the medium. Sometimes a group of bees takes their time to draw out a new honey super. They'll get to it.

 

[JamesYanco]

Thanks, jajtiii

I was just wondering if I should swap out the medium super(plastic foundation) in favor of one of my shallow supers(wax foundation).

I guess I'm just being to inpatient. New bee here, go figure.

On a side note I have noticed that my 2nd deep is pretty heavy(brood and honey) while the bottom deep dose not seem to have as much action going on in it.

 

[jajtiii]

Did you look in the bottom deep? My queens move back and forth, working the top deep until its full and then returning to the bottom deep. Between the two deeps, most of the honey is always stored in the top deep (thus, it almost always weighs more.) If the top is full of capped brood and honey, I am guessing that you'll find eggs/larvae in the bottom deep.

I think some others have posted here that their queens do not go back down, so you should probably do an inspection of the bottom just to be sure. Look for eggs and you're golden.

 

[beedeetee]

I have two shallow supers ready to go with wax foundation. The supers are spaced nine frames in a ten frame box.

Unless those 9 frames are drawn comb, you don't want to do that. Keep them 10 frames / 10 frame box until they are drawn, then you can go to 9/box.

You will get mostly cross comb and comb parallel to the foundation with them spaced that way.

 

[JamesYanco]

Thank you beedeetee, so what you are saying is to start the supers out with ten frames, then once they are drawn space them to nine frames.

I hope this is what you meant, today I swaped out the medium I had on for a shallow. I removed the spacers I had and added the tenth frame. My shallows are wax foundation.

Does anybody know the nector flows for PA. My location is about an hour east of Pittsbrugh.

 

[beedeetee]

I hope this is what you meant, today I swaped out the medium I had on for a shallow. I removed the spacers I had and added the tenth frame. My shallows are wax foundation.

Yes, that's what I meant. It is much nicer extracting from frames that have been 9 (or even 8) in a 10 frame box, but for the first year you are significantly violating bee space and they will build comb that you will not want. Next year take one frame out of each box and run 9's.

My definition of an experienced beekeeper is a beekeeper that has already made all of the mistakes that a new beekeeper is about to make. So if you are wondering how I know about 9 frames of foundation in a 10 frame box, well......I am an experienced beekeeper.:doh:

 

[EastSideBuzz]

Remember that you need to think in terms of months and not days. It could take them awhile to go gang busters and you think that they are really not doing much. It is a process. As more get born the queen will lay more. She will not lay more brood then can be tended to. So as more hatch she can lay more. Just make sure she is laying and they are bringing back pollen etc. I have some hives that are really slow and others that are fast.

 

[JamesYanco]

UPDATE:


I did a whole hive inspection today. The bees finally started working the foundation in the shallow super. The only thing I did in it was rotated a couple of frames 180 degrees.

Second deep was VERY heavy. There was very little brood in it. Most was capped and un-capped honey.

Bottom deep did not seem as heavy using the weight of the frames as a guide. It had a fair amount of capped brood and new brood. Not much honey on the frames. I was not able to locate the queen today, even though she has a blue dot on her. The bees had wild comb on some of the frame tops and bottoms. I took the time to scrape this off. Was that ok? With my update does my hive sound like it is doing ok?

The bees seem to bring more pollen in the morning then they do in the afternoon. Is this correct or am I just imagining things?

I have a vertical slatted rack for ventilation and the telescope cover is lifted in the back for ventilation.

 

[JamesYanco]

I opened the hive yesterday and found the bees filled up my shallow super with honey. Very very little was capped. No queen excluder. Wired wax foundation.

Question:

I spaced the ten frame super into a nine frame. I then took the tenth frame and added it to another super(ten frame) and placed the new super between the upper deep and the super of honey comb. Was this ok or was it counter productive?

 

[beardance]

When To Stop Feeding!
I have 2 new hives as well and i was told to keep feeding until they stop taking it on their own. so im still feeding mine. It might only be about a jar a week or alil longer but they are still taking it. Main thing is that your trying to build them up and every lil bit helps, i even went with the honey b healthy that you add 1-2 tsp to the feed!

Adding 2nd Deep Hive Body!
First box should be 80% full (8 frames out of 10 frames) the outter frames will be empty, you can move them in and then add the second box! Soon as you add the second box they will move right on up so you want to fill as much as you can in the first box! Good Luck!!!

honeybeekeeper, Should the second box be completely filled with all 10 frames of foundation? Thanks.

 

[mike haney]

"...box be completely filled ..."
yes, keep all your boxes of FOUNDATION full 'till the comb is drawn.
good luck,mike