Obtaining Nucs

[Terri Yaki]

If you have mediums for honey supers put them in those and start there. If you want to run deeps put the deep on top of the medium, get comb drawn in that then reverse the boxes later in the year.

That sounds like a good, reasonable approach, thanks. Would it be good to ensure that the queen went to the lower level and put the queen excluder in the middle then?

[beesnweeds]

When you place the deep on the medium let the bees draw it out.  When the queen moves up to the deep put a queen excluder on top of the medium.  Once all the brood emerges from the medium you can do what you want with it.

[Terri Yaki]

When you place the deep on the medium let the bees draw it out.  When the queen moves up to the deep put a queen excluder on top of the medium.  Once all the brood emerges from the medium you can do what you want with it.

So they'll just move up into it?

[The15thMember]

They should.  One medium is really just not enough room for a colony's brood nest.  I use all mediums, and my colonies always have brood in at least 2 mediums, sometimes 3, when it's active season.

[Bill Murray]

So they'll just move up into it?

Yes, they are bees , thats what they do.

Again, keep it simple they have been doing this a lot longer than I have.  Remember you are trying to manage your bees to do what you want them to do in a given situation/time frame. If you can keep that in your mind and work with them to do what they do. You'll be fine.

[cao]

Why put the deep on top?  Just put the deep on the bottom and let the bees do what is natural.  They will move the broodnest down when they start filling the medium with honey.

[Terri Yaki]

Why put the deep on top?  Just put the deep on the bottom and let the bees do what is natural.  They will move the broodnest down when they start filling the medium with honey.

Would I not end up with brood in the honey super?

[beesnweeds]

Would I not end up with brood in the honey super?

You could.  Not always, but queens tend to lay in dark brood comb no matter the location.  I try and keep brood and honey frames separate.  Personally I would put on a QE and be done with it.  All beekeepers manage differently, its really up to you.  Just make sure you keep feed on them so they build up to the configuration you want (like 2 deeps 3 mediums or whatever) then remove the feeder and add your supers.

[Michael Bush]

>Not always, but queens tend to lay in dark brood comb no matter the location.

It's funny.  A queen's favorite comb to lay in is brand new comb, but next is old black comb...