[FordGuy]

hi folks - what do you do when this happens?

 

[onlygoodSHBisdeadone]

Put the top box on bottom and then she'll be laying in the bottom box

 

[MountainCamp]

Reverse the boxes. During the winter the cluster has moved vertical. The longer the winter the higher they get, usually. This is almost a ritual every spring.
She will be forced down as they fill the upper comb with brood, and then nectar and honey, but if they are almost exclusively in the upper box, I reverse.

 

[Ross]

Leave her alone. My queens lay where ever they want. When the flow starts the workers will put her where they want her.

 

[MichaelW]

If there is lots of brood and or honey in the bottom box also, there is no point in reversing. I only reverse when the bottom box is like 90%+ empty comb.

 

[Michael Bush]

>Put the top box on bottom and then she'll be laying in the bottom box

What's the problem? All of mine are. It's fine with me. Is there some other complication that worries you? Like different sized boxes?

 

[onlygoodSHBisdeadone]

If You have that much brood you may want to consider splitting. In a few weeks hive will be over crowded and will split for you. If you want to keep it together better start adding supers to give them room and start keeping an eye out for swarm cells.

 

[iddee]

The bees don't see more than 1 box. They have one hive. They store honey from the top down and raise brood just below the stores. During the winter they move up as they eat. During the flow they move back down as the honey is stored above.
Don't worry, your situation is normal and she will move back down as the stores are replaced during the flow.

 

[FordGuy]

OK, then when I add foundation to be drawn out, should I add it on the very bottom to simulate a hanging comb that just gets taller?

 

[onlygoodSHBisdeadone]

IMO add it to top for honey stores. If its a box of the same dimension as others pull a frame or two of drawn comb out of another box and place in new box to get them motivated to begin working on the foundation a little quicker. If you just put a box of only foundation on they will waite till a strong flows on to move into it

 

[onlygoodSHBisdeadone]

IMO add it to top for honey stores. If its a box of the same dimension as others pull a frame or two of drawn comb out of another box and place in new box to get them motivated to begin working on the foundation a little quicker. If you just put a box of only foundation on they will waite till a strong flows on to move into it

 

[onlygoodSHBisdeadone]

OOOPs sorry about that........ stupid twitch....I can't take me anywhere.

 

[iddee]

I agree, add it to the top and, as he says, pull a frame or two, or others call it checkerboard, to get them open space without a honey cap and they will work to fill from the top, otherwise it takes them a while to realize there is space above the honey. They will never move up there unless there's a flow on without checkerboarding.