[MidwifeBee]

Bees work fast! Well mine are anyway. Last time I posted I was asking about adding another box for possible brood (or whatever the girls decided they needed it for). I actually thought they would put some brood in it, well in both my hives they have not. So let me describe what I have:

Both new boxes (8 frame mediums) are full of of nectar? honey? Tastes like honey to me. On some frames both sides are capped and on others only one side is. But all frames are full except one!!! I am going to get my other boxes on there in the morning. I was not prepared. So is this nectar or honey?

Also in one box two frames were stuck together pretty good, for whatever reasons I decided not to leave this like it was. I took out both frames and brought them home so my question is how can I extract these two frames?

Blessings
Kelli

 

[schmism]

nectar/honey. Nectar = uncapped cell honey= capped cell. (ie the bees know when its ready, that is, the transformation is complete from nectar to honey and will cap the cell)

it is ill advised to try to extract/eat non-capped honey. as for your 2 frames, if they are capped, crush and strain, if they arnt, break them apart, and put them back in the hive. the bees will do the rest.

 

[MidwifeBee]

They were both covered (capped) tops were a whiter white and maybe the bottom 1/3 or a little less was white but more opaque? Does that make sense.

I just took them off this evening and was to tired from house remodeling all day to deal with the two frames but I have tasted them sure does taste good has sort of a lemon scent to it......

I was absolutely not ready to add boxes or extract anything crushing and straining can someone tell me exactly how that works? I will have to get my rear end in high gear and add some boxes in the morning. I'm pretty sure I almost made a bad mistake since there is no room left at all...........

Thanks
Kelli

 

[notaclue]

When mine are capped and I may have white and opaque. It just means how full the cell is of cured honey when capped and whether the honey is touching the cappings.

 

[schmism]

crush and strain

havnt done it myself... but i assume it goes like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R0jJAhRrnw

 

[KQ6AR]

You might want to add a brood box, under the one they filled with honey. The queen needs a place to lay eggs.
Thay could buy you some time to locate an extractor to borrow.

 

[beepriddy]

Hi Kelli - Welcome to bee keeping, I'm in my 2nd year and I can tell you one thing for sure to always expect the unexpected with the ladies, and always "bee" prepared.

I've put a URL below to a lady that has some good videos and how to do exactly what you've asked.

Bee Keeping takes a lot of devotion to the little critters and a lot of work, fun it may be.

Some reading I've found helpful as a beginner is also listed below, will answer a lot of your questions as a beginner, but it is no substitute for the great folks here.

Also if you do not take a regular beekeeping publication such as Bee Culture or American Bee Journal I highly recommend that you do that too. I take both, they both have their positivie points.


http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com

Beekeeping for Dummies by Howland Blackinston

The Backyard Beekeeper by Kim Flottum

Natural Beekeeping by Ross Conrad

Good Luck!

Linda

 

[MidwifeBee]

Would that be a brood box on top of my current bottom box and then still yet another on the top for honey storage?

I went in today to add the new boxes and on one hive I added it on top in the other I added it under what had been the top box, not sure why I did it.........

Not as much brood as I would have thought I would see. Certainly not as much as what I was seeing before they started producing honey. I did not see any eggs, lots of brood capped, and in various stages larvae. It was getting to dark. I am just hoping I have not made a bad mistake.:ws

What I do not understand is this..... I had two boxes on each hive, bottom was filed up with brood, eggs, larvae and some stored food. Same with each second (top) box. Wrote in and everyone said add another for more room for queen brood...... did that. went back and in less than 10 days on both hives this 3rd box was filled up with honey. She did not go up and lay any eggs, I do not have a queen excluded on either.
I am going back tomorrow and putting on a box on top of my very bottom box to see if she will lay in it. That is unless someone tells me NO :no:
Everything else looked good so while I did not see any eggs, most likely due to lighting I feel pretty positive. I did remove 3 more frames....

Kelli

 

[KQ6AR]

Hi Kelli,
If you're asking me, my idea was. Since they are treating the second brood box as a honey super, place the new box between the two. On top of the lowest brood box. Maybe she will use it. Since you aren't prepared to get some honey out yet.

 

[nathan]

In my experience, and from much research, a colony typically wants to put honey out of the way, and in a lang hive, this means up top. If you put a new box below the current brood box, when the queen has filled the area the workers will move her down, and as brood hatches they will fill the emptied cells with nectar/honey. My rule of thumb is super for honey, sub for brood, give 'em enough room to do both, but not too much. It's an exact science, beekeeping. Oh, and don't worry too much, bees are pretty flexible. Diseases aside, the worst that can happen is a swarm if they get too crowded.

 

[MidwifeBee]

Let me clear things up a bit Nathan.....

1st box on bottom = good brood, larvae and small amount of food/pollen
2nd box=brood, larvae small amount of food
3rd box (was top box)= full of honey
4th box (just added yesterday) now top box obvisiouly nothing yet.

Pretty much the same in both hives.

Think I understand that I need to move #4 into #3's spot so that honey is on the very top. That sound like what your talking about?

Kelli

 

[johng]

I think you are ok. I have a couple 8 frame med hives to see how I like them. I think you are ok. I see you are in TX not sure what part. But, I am in Fl. which is like a lot of TX and my 8 frame hives are pretty much only using the bottom two boxes for brood also. The queen might lay a few eggs in the third box but only a few in the middle of the super. I'm sure some of the more norther beeks might need more room but, seems to be ok for this part of the country.JMHO

 

[nathan]

Kelli, that's not exactly what I was talking about, but it is a good practice. Some, especially those who like comb or chunk honey, don't like the bees walking on newly capped honey as it can leave trails or dark lines, so they put the filled super on top. Others think that putting the full super on top will encourage the bees to fill the empty below it. The dark line thing I can get, but it seems that if there is honeyflow and room in the hive the bees will use it wherever it is. What I was talking about is related specifically to the brood chamber/zone of the hive. If I feel that the bees need more room for brood, I will try to put a new super below the current brood super, encouraging the queen to move down into it when she is ready instead of moving up, which is where I want my honey. Then, as brood hatches, the empty cells will be filled with honey. I was just in my hives an hour ago, and can see where this is happening now. I haven't switched all of my hives over, but I moving more toward using all medium supers, for both brood and honey, and this seems to work especially well in that setup.

 

[MidwifeBee]

Nathan
this may be the dumbest question ever.......... but I think I understand ou to say that I should put an empty box on top of box #1 so that I would then have three boxes for brood?
What I don't understand is what is the difference if i put a 3rd brood box above the current 2nd instead of between the current 1st and 3rd? Wont the queen go up into that 3rd box if she needs more room? Or maybe the girls will be to busy putting honey there and she won't want to?

Kelli

 

[StevenG]

Kelli, you're on the right track. a colony made up of 8-frame mediums needs three boxes for the brood nest...generally the top of the third box will many times have a dome of honey across the top.

At this point, since your 3rd box is full of honey, I'd put the 4th box between boxes 2 and 3. That might encourage the queen to lay in your 4th box, now #3 from the bottom. When #3 is being worked, and about half full, of bees, brood, or honey, I'd add a 5th box between your new #3, and #4 (your old #3 which is full of honey). Sounds like you have a honey flow on, and it's time to give them plenty of room for honey and brood. As they fill boxes with honey, I'd keep adding under the lowest honey super... probably as they're about 2/3 full. Give them space, keep them busy, as long as the flow lasts.
Good luck!
Steven

 

[MidwifeBee]

If they just put honey in that new box and no brood should I stick one in between 1 and 2 as another brood box? And force the issue? Not sure about separating the brood boxes.........

Kelli

 

[StevenG]

I personally wouldn't separate boxes with brood in them.