Just checking to make sure I am not going to have a problems. A little history here. This is my second year with this hive It was started with 1 deep with plastic frames. The middle 6 were drawn out and the brood was on these frames, when I added the second box. I used a medium and wax foundation. The bees moved up into the medium and drew it out without drawing the outer 4 plastic frames in the bottom deep. When the middle 6 were drawn out and had brood in them I added a third box that was a medium with wax foundation. They drew the center 6 frames and had some stores in them.
Going into winter I left the configuration alone and added a 8 lb. candy board with a top entrance. About January most of the candy board was gone so I used the mountain camp method and added 4 lbs of dry sugar. They ate most of this then the beginning of Feb., I added a pollen patty.
I did a complete check on 3/21 and found the cluster in the top box as expected. The center 6 frames were completely filled with capped brood and the was about 2 frames of honey/bee bread left. The lower 2 boxes were completely empty of stores. The brood was completely covered with nurse bees and there were bees in all the boxes. There was still some dry sugar left. I added a pollen patty and about 2lbs of dry sugar. The bees were bringing in a lot of pollen.
I was worried about the queen not having enough room to lay so I went ahead and moved the top box to the bottom and placed the deep above it, followed by the second medium which was completely empty of stores. Today I went out and did another inspection. I found about half the capped brood that was there on 3/21 hatched out. The there were larvea in various stages layed in most of the hatched out cells. I was able to find the queen. I added 1:1 in a top feeder.
What concerns me is they are storing honey/bee bread in the center of the deep above the brood nest. Do I have to worry about the queen running out of space in the bottom box and then not being able to move up? I won't be able to manipulate because I don't have any drawn deep frames so the only thing I could do is move the top medium down. I really don't want to risk a swarm. Any advice is welcomed.
Going into winter I left the configuration alone and added a 8 lb. candy board with a top entrance. About January most of the candy board was gone so I used the mountain camp method and added 4 lbs of dry sugar. They ate most of this then the beginning of Feb., I added a pollen patty.
I did a complete check on 3/21 and found the cluster in the top box as expected. The center 6 frames were completely filled with capped brood and the was about 2 frames of honey/bee bread left. The lower 2 boxes were completely empty of stores. The brood was completely covered with nurse bees and there were bees in all the boxes. There was still some dry sugar left. I added a pollen patty and about 2lbs of dry sugar. The bees were bringing in a lot of pollen.
I was worried about the queen not having enough room to lay so I went ahead and moved the top box to the bottom and placed the deep above it, followed by the second medium which was completely empty of stores. Today I went out and did another inspection. I found about half the capped brood that was there on 3/21 hatched out. The there were larvea in various stages layed in most of the hatched out cells. I was able to find the queen. I added 1:1 in a top feeder.
What concerns me is they are storing honey/bee bread in the center of the deep above the brood nest. Do I have to worry about the queen running out of space in the bottom box and then not being able to move up? I won't be able to manipulate because I don't have any drawn deep frames so the only thing I could do is move the top medium down. I really don't want to risk a swarm. Any advice is welcomed.