Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => EQUIPMENT USAGE, EXPERIMENTATION, HIVE PLANS, CONSTRUCTION TIPS AND TOOLS => Topic started by: B DOG on June 05, 2004, 10:24:57 pm

Title: NEW HIVE, FRAME MANAGEMENT?
Post by: B DOG on June 05, 2004, 10:24:57 pm

OK SO I AM NEW TO THIS AND THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THAT I HAVE CHECK THE HIVE. - LOOKS GREAT- I WENT IN AND ALL IS WELL. MY QUESTION IS ON FRAME MANAGEMENT. I WENT IN AND ALL THE BEES WERE IN THE CENTER THREE FRAMES, SO I PULLED AN OUTER FRAME AND PLACED IT IN THE MIDDLE, BASICLY SITICKING A UNDELOPED FRAME IN THE MIDDEL OF 3 DEVOLPED AND WORKING FRAMES. I UNDERSTAND THAT THEY WILL WORK FORM THE CENTER OUT, BUT SHOULD I HAVE DOEN THIS? I KNOW IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL, BUT WHAT IS YOUR OPINION?

Title: Frame management
Post by: SeanChan on June 05, 2004, 10:58:09 pm

The usual practice is to wait till 6 or 7 frames has been started by the bees before you move one in to get them to start on it. Just 3 frame is a wee bit early. Patience is a great asset in beekeeping.

Sean. :D

Title: NEW HIVE, FRAME MANAGEMENT?
Post by: lobstafari on June 06, 2004, 07:05:32 am

Somebody once told me the bees get disoriented when you flip and switch frames around.

Title: NEW HIVE, FRAME MANAGEMENT?
Post by: BigRog on June 06, 2004, 07:12:52 am

Think your caps lock button is stuck
Posting in all caps is the equivilent of yelling
We can all read in lower case
http://anticapslock.com/

Title: NEW HIVE, FRAME MANAGEMENT?
Post by: Robo on June 06, 2004, 09:24:05 am

I hope you didn't take the frame from the middle and but it on the outside.

Basically you split the brood area by putting a foundation wall between them.  This could be a problem if there is not enough bees to keep the brood warm.  If you took the middle frame and put it on the outside, you made that even worse by splitting your brood in 3.

You are best to let the bees keep the brood chamber in tacked and they will expand it as they grow.

Title: NEW HIVE, FRAME MANAGEMENT?
Post by: B DOG on June 07, 2004, 10:43:31 am

WHAT I DID WAS TAKE A FRAME FROM THE OUTSIDE AND PLACE IT IN THE MIDDLE. SHOUD I GO BACK IN AND REDO WHAT I HAVE DONE?

Title: NEW HIVE, FRAME MANAGEMENT?
Post by: Robo on June 07, 2004, 10:57:27 am

How did you make the space in the middle to put the frame in?  Did you just slide the frames over to make room?  If so,  I would just leave it.  At this point, they have probably started drawing it out.

If you moved a frame from the middle and placed it on the outside, then I would go and move it back.

Title: NEW HIVE, FRAME MANAGEMENT?
Post by: B DOG on June 07, 2004, 11:15:34 am

right that is what i did. - i slid over the existing frames that were drawn on and palced one that was new in the middle. how bad did i screw up?

Title: NEW HIVE, FRAME MANAGEMENT?
Post by: Robo on June 07, 2004, 11:48:49 am

You should be OK.  Just keep an eye out for them overdrawing the comb on either side of the new frame.   If it was earlier in the season, you could have caused some of the brood to be chilled and killed by splitting it.

Title: NEW HIVE, FRAME MANAGEMENT?
Post by: B DOG on June 07, 2004, 12:12:25 pm

IT IS A NEWLY EASTABLISHED HIVE THOUGH