Should I have 2 brood boxes?

How many brood boxes should you have? The general consensus in most regions of the world is to use either one or two brood boxes. Using three or more means that you are probably doing your bees a disservice. In this case you would be better off splitting the large hive so you can get back to one or two brood boxes.

Do you need 2 brood boxes?

With two brood boxes, there is enough space for your queen to lay as many eggs as she can. This means you won't need to check your hives as often. When using one brood box, there is only enough room to feed your broods sugar syrup in small increments. With two, you can give them larger amounts less often.

Should I add another brood box?

But the big question is how long should you wait until you add the second box. This applies whether you are using deep hive bodies for the brood area or medium sized boxes. Add your next box once the bees have drawn out 5-7 combs in their first box.

Can you adding a second brood box too soon?

Fresh nectar helps bees produce wax (or in spring 2 parts water to 1 part sugar supplemented with nutrients). Rain and snow can slow your colony as does mistakes by the new beekeeper – all may inhibit this colony from growing. The takeaway here is don't add a second box too soon after hiving your package.

How many frames of brood should a hive have?

Most beekeepers seem to prefer using ten frames in the brood boxes—and for good reasons. There is really no benefit to having extra wide spaces for raising brood, and ten frames provide more area for the brood nest, so this makes sense.

Beekeeping 101: Should you run one or two brood boxes for your bee hives? - Dr Mark Goodwin

Will bees move honey from brood box to super?

A hive generally has two brood boxes—the larger boxes in which the bees lives year-round—and honey supers are stacked on top of those boxes during the spring and summer months to give the hive extra room. The bees will move honey “upstairs” to the supers if it's available.

How long does it take for bees to fill a brood box?

A package of bees will likely take up to 2 months to fill a brood box. This is a realistic expectation and your bees may fill it faster or take longer depending on your local conditions. Also, the population of a package of bees will slowly shrink for around 3 weeks until the first round of new brood emerges.

How many frames of bees does it take to overwinter?

A healthy colony consisting of 25,000 to 30,000 bees is an adequate size for overwintering success. Colonies with fewer than 15,000 bees are not likely to survive freezing temperatures, though they may survive in locations with milder winters.

When should you add a honey super?

The ideal time to add a super is during periods of natural population growth (typically, the spring), before or during a honey flow (spring or summer), or during periods of swarming (again, typically the spring). Before adding a super, beekeepers often use a standard rule of thumb, which is known as the 7/10 rule.

Should I add a brood box or honey super?

Generally, a honey super is added when the brood box has approximately six out of the eight frames with bees and brood, as well as stored nectar. If you have a ten-frame hive, then approximately eight out of the ten frames should have bees and brood on them. As a rule of thumb, 80% of the brood box should be full.

How many medium brood boxes Should a hive have?

How many brood boxes should you have? The general consensus in most regions of the world is to use either one or two brood boxes. Using three or more means that you are probably doing your bees a disservice. In this case you would be better off splitting the large hive so you can get back to one or two brood boxes.

Should I add a super or brood box?

You may want to add another brood box, make a split from your hive, or consider rotating the brood frames to create more space by adding empty brood frames into the brood box. If the timing is right, adding your Flow Super is also a good way to create more space. Check for queen cups and queen cells.

Should I leave a Super on my hive over winter?

Can You Leave a Honey Super on Over Winter? Yes, you can leave a honey super or several on the hive over Winter. In fact, most beekeepers do have a super or two designated for use by the bees.

Should the queen excluder be removed for winter?

In the Northern hemisphere where winters are long and bitterly cold, it is a common practice for beekeepers to remove queen excluders. This allows the bees to cluster tightly around the honey stores in the top of the hive where they can consume honey and generate heat.

How many hive boxes do I need for winter?

Winter stores

In cold climates, it's usually best to use two brood boxes. Either one deep box and one medium, or two deeps. Set up your hive accordingly during spring.

Can you harvest honey from brood box?

It is a serious no-no to extract honey with brood in the frame, contaminating with lots of bugs, whether capped or not. Just leave frames out of the job and put them back in the hive, can hatch out and extract later if needed.

Should I reverse brood boxes?

. In the spring and summer as the nest is expanding and the weather warms, the bees will move down. You can reverse the hive bodies as long as the entire brood nest is in one box. The problem is that most times the nest always straddles more than one box.

Should you rotate brood boxes?

The purpose of rotating brood boxes is to reduce the chance of swarming. Because it is quick and easy, it is a favorite maneuver of commercial beekeepers or those with many colonies to handle. In that case, it is probably somewhat effective at reducing the swarm impulse, at least for a while.

Why are my bees not going into the Super?

The most common reason your bees aren't filling your supers is because they are simply not strong enough. Your colony isn't ready to move up into the super for honey storage, and you have given them to much space. Your weaker colonies will need more time to get established.

How many Hoffman frames in a national brood box?

In brood boxes, up to twelve frames can be used, but (once propolised), twelve frames are typically too tight a fit for easy use, and eleven frames (with, perhaps, a dummy board filling the space) are more common; in honey supers, between nine and twelve can be used, depending on the spacing chosen.

Why are my bees building comb between frames?

Space is another reason bees might build comb between two frames. Bees will build comb anywhere they have enough space. If the opportunity presents itself, they might think, “Hey, why not build here?” Then they'll construct their comb sideways instead of downward.