[BunniesAndBees]

Almost a month ago I hived 2 packages into 10 frame mediums. I started them in two mediums each, but I wasn't thinking (maybe it was all the bees buzzing in my face ) and I shook the bees and put the queen cage in the upper box. So now one hive has almost all the top 10 frames filled and the other one has maybe 7-8 filled. In both hives the bottom boxes have been ignored. How should I handle this? I was thinking of these possible solutions:
1. Leave them alone, they will use the extra space when they need it
2. Switch the lower box and put it on top
3. Move a frame with brood to the bottom box so that the bees will follow

Also, the second hive has lots of brood, but it seems like there is a lot of drone brood (maybe 20-25%). The other hive doesn't have hardly any. Is this a problem?

Thanks for any help you can give me!!!

 

[beenerds]

Im a newb but I would think that if you are full pull a few frames out and put them in the bottom.

Just a thought

 

[brac]

Switch the boxes, so the can draw the new foundation on top.

 

[honeybeekeeper]

Move the box on the bottom to the top! If you ever start another hive you only want to start out with one box and when they have the box 80% drawn out then add the 2nd box!

 

[BunniesAndBees]

Thanks! I started them in 2 boxes because at a class I went to they said that one medium would bee too small a space to start them in. Seeing it for myself, I'd say one medium would be fine, so that's what I'll do next time.

 

[honeybeekeeper]

I dont see why you would need it, you already seen what problem it caused unless you used one box as an empty with no frames but i dont really think thats neccessary! Bees move up and what ever frames was not drawn behind them is left behind, they dont care!...hahaha

 

[milwaukee_natural_bees]

I'd think they would start filling it when they need it...There are entire beekeeping systems out there with Warre hives where the entire principle is adding boxes underneath...If you're one month into this you have one brood cycle behind you and the population will be starting to swing up, I'd guess they will start filling it downward if you don't do anything else...And by the way, bees in nature work top down that's why they started at the top....If they truly preferred going up, they should have started with the bottom box right...?

Anyhow, I'm sure this is one of many opinions, but I'd keep watching them and as their population increases my bet is they will expand downwards as they need the space...If you happen to switch them , no real downside to that one either for the time being they will use it as they need it...

 

[beekeeper1756]

Reverse the boxes and put the empty one on top. This is actually good practive for reversing the hives in early spring.

Thru the winter, the colony and the queen will just move higher and higher and won't go back down to the bottom hive box without a little guidance from you, the beekeeper.

 

[devdog108]

I did not reverse mine and they went back down into the deep all by themselves. I was going to, but I noticed that they had moved back down and the queen was again laying in the deep like last year. With is being a new package, i would probable go ahead and reverse them as most have suggested.