Tell me if this is a stupid idea or not

[VolunteerK9]

First off, I'm having a hard time being a beekeep.  I have approximately 200 chickens that I sell eggs and meat from that I feed everyday, gather eggs from everyday and generally do something with everyday. I'm like a kid waiting on Christmas to do a weekly inspection on my hives. Having said that, I dumped a package on a deep of drawn (older wax from the looks of it) and placed a partially filled (capped honey) shallow super on top.  The bees have placed brood in the shallow which I'm assuming to be closer to the food but havent really even touched anything in the deep.  Could I brush what bees are hanging on to the deep frames onto a medium with foundation to match my other hives? I just dont think that they are really that thrilled with the last years comb at all and would prefer to draw there own. Will the queen eventually work her way downward as the shallow fills up? With this being my first year, I'm not concerned with a honey crop, so as stupid as it sounds, reverse the shallow and deep to direct them upwards? Feel free to flame as its the best way that I learn.

[Keith13]

if i understand correct you have a entire deep with drawn comb with a shallow of honey on top? if this is so leave them alone they will be fine. She will move down sooner than you think and they will not have to waste energy drawing new comb

Keith

[VolunteerK9]

Yup , thats what Ive got. And I want to thank you for your service.

[iddee]

They will always fill from the top down, honey first, then brood. They won't fill under empty space until they fill it first.

[Ollie]

If you really wanted them to move down so they don't mess up the medium frames with brood casings, take a queen excluder, put it on top of the deep, and shake every single frame from the medium out in front of the hive, put the medium back on top of the queen excluder without any bees in it, they will walk and fly back to the hive. When back in, they will stick around where the queen is, she will not be able to get back in the medium and eventually, once the workers get to cleaning some cells, she will start laying in the deep.

[Michael Bush]

>and eventually, once the workers get to cleaning some cells, she will start laying in the deep.

...while they raise a new queen upstairs.

[Ollie]

>and eventually, once the workers get to cleaning some cells, she will start laying in the deep.

...while they raise a new queen upstairs.

Not sure about that, as long as the bees have access to the queen, her pheromone is propagated through out the hive.
For them to raise a new queen it would have to be a space that they can not cross, 1 1/4 spacer with #7 or smaller screen top and bottom.

[Michael Bush]

>Not sure about that, as long as the bees have access to the queen, her pheromone is propagated through out the hive.

That is the theory.  But in my experience they have raised a queen upstairs every time I have tried it.  If the weather is cold they will even abandon the queen below for the brood above and leave her to die.

[Ollie]

Experience trumps theory.
I stand corrected.

[Michael Bush]

Don't get me wrong.  It's a great way to set up a two queen hive, or a split or just raise a new queen...

[Ollie]

I was thinking the same thing...maybe I'll give it a try when the weather gets better