Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => TOP BAR HIVES - WARRE HIVES - LONG HIVES => Topic started by: Bob Wilson on June 15, 2019, 04:36:17 pm
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My long langstroth is about have filled with frames now. Is that normal for a swarm caught in the beginning of March? I know I am starting with only a half hive, it being a swarm, but I thought they would have filled up the whole thing, approximately three deep boxes (50 inch long hive box) by now. They have about 10 brood frames which seem to be doing well, and now they seem to be filling and capping 2-3 frames with solid honey. They have several more empty foundationless frames after that. Does it seem on track with you guys, or are they being slow?
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Bobil,
Every hive is different. That is why we tell new beekeepers to get 2 hives to start out.
How big was the swarm. I have had really large swarms fill out the equivalent of 2 deeps in 10 days. Others do not fill more than a couple of frames and continue to struggle.
Jim Altmiller
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My long hives did not completely fill the hive until the third year. The hive that I have pics of on another thread did not fill the 4 ft. hive until this spring. It was started from a swarm 3 years ago. The first year it filled out about 12-15 frames, the second year it had about 25 frames filled, this year(third) it finished filling the hive and I had to pull several to prevent swarming. My other 4 long hives are on about the same pace just a year behind. Hope this helps.
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Thanks Jim and Cao. That gives me a better idea of what I should be expecting.
I know the benefit of starting with two colonies, but I am having to do this on the cheap, and I only caught one swarm this first year. I waited a week or two until they built some cross comb and had brood, before I cut it out and placed it into frames. Probably 4 full deep frames worth of comb. Perhaps that was a small swarm.
I am no doubt being impatient. It is hard not to be.