I would like to go ahead and add a 2nd deep to my hive as it is starting to get a bit crowded. The weather has been varying greatly here in Texas but I doubt we will get another freeze. Highs for the next 10 days range from 52 - 80 with the lows from 34 - 64. Its only going to go up from here I believe. Is this warm enough to add a deep or will I be giving them too much dead space to stay warm?
At what temp is it OK to add 2nd deep
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Those temps are just a distant memory for me.
The bees don't need to warm all of the space you give them. It sounds like you have a box with plenty of bees, and I would assume a fair amount of brood. I would add the second box now or you may be dealing with swarming issues before you know it. They are going to need some extra room right now to expand the brood nest.
Many thanks for the replies. What about honey stores? My hive is a bit light since they are just coming off of the winter. Is there a certain amount of stored honey they should have in the 1st deep before adding a 2nd or is it only about the number of bees and the brood?
That is a very good question,
It is a good idea to add another brood box, in this case a second deep, when the bees have the bottom box 70 - 80 % filled out. Typically in your brood box, that will be mostly brood with some honey. The brood will be in the center most frames. Each individual brood frame will contain brood in the center of the frame. The outer portion of the frame may contain honey and/or pollen.
If the bees have solid frames of honey in the brood chamber, they will be the outer frames. If they start to run out of room in the brood chamber, they will start to "backfill" and make swarm preps.
HTH,
Shane
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