I have one just like yours. I've been at it for about the same time as you, harvest comb honey and crush and strain for my own use only . Less expensive and less work than an extractor.
I planned to take the best looking frames and doing queenless splits into nucs from my other four hives, play Chinese fire drill with the frames and hopefully mitigate swarming by opening up the existing hives. I think bees readily clean drawn comb before building new and if her highness has room to lay, she may decide to stay.
Two I didn't feel were strong enough to split and I haven't looked at the other two.
Last year I had mold which the girls completely did away with during spring cleaning. A trusted codger routinely lets the girls do all the clean-up work with his dead outs.
My plan is to introduce the worst frames with deeps as they build up and let them work it out. I doubt I'll get a harvest from that one this year, but I've been surprised before.
I planned to take the best looking frames and doing queenless splits into nucs from my other four hives, play Chinese fire drill with the frames and hopefully mitigate swarming by opening up the existing hives. I think bees readily clean drawn comb before building new and if her highness has room to lay, she may decide to stay.
Two I didn't feel were strong enough to split and I haven't looked at the other two.
Last year I had mold which the girls completely did away with during spring cleaning. A trusted codger routinely lets the girls do all the clean-up work with his dead outs.
My plan is to introduce the worst frames with deeps as they build up and let them work it out. I doubt I'll get a harvest from that one this year, but I've been surprised before.