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BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Fishing-Nut on September 19, 2019, 04:34:13 pm

Title: Add room, split or leave them alone.
Post by: Fishing-Nut on September 19, 2019, 04:34:13 pm
I've got an 8 frame hive that's doing very well.  They are packed with bees and brood of all stages and a queen that is showing no signs of slowing down. We have a pretty good fall flow going on right now as well....the frames are completely built out except for one that is about 3/4 of the way and they are steady working on it. I dont have another 8 frame box right now, I've got 2 nuc boxes and would rather not split them. I could easily get another box to add to them though. I just want to make sure they are strong for the winter. What would you guys do? What are the odds of them swarming this time of year?
Title: Re: Add room, split or leave them alone.
Post by: Oldbeavo on September 19, 2019, 05:57:38 pm
If you are using a hive mat, take it out and let them fill the lid with honey as a winter store and leave them as a single. I doubt if they can produce enough bees to be able to maintain it over winter.
Is it a full depth hive?
Title: Re: Add room, split or leave them alone.
Post by: van from Arkansas on September 19, 2019, 06:21:26 pm
Good afternoon Fish!!

I have one hive doing the same as you describe: queen laying non stop, hive full of bees.  One hive out of 17 that is expanding.  All other hives are slowing down, as the nectar is scarce and all hives are getting ready for winter.  That is all but the one hive as you described.

My plan is to remove a frame of brood and give to a newly created 8/30 nuc.  In my area, sept swarms are actually absconds and the swarms are weak, stressed from whatever caused the hive evacuation.  To late in season for me to split this over crowded hive.  So like I said, remove a frame of brood and just keep an eye on this particular hive. 

Georgia has a much warmer climate than my area so I will leave swarm issues to Jim (sawdust) and others of similar climate to yours.  An inspection should reveal info such as drone brood which is first step of swarming, then queen cells.  An overcrowded hive is a good problem to have.  Maybe you have an outstanding queen and no action is required.

Van

Title: Re: Add room, split or leave them alone.
Post by: Ben Framed on September 20, 2019, 02:04:18 am
Good afternoon Fish!!

I have one hive doing the same as you describe: queen laying non stop, hive full of bees.  One hive out of 17 that is expanding.  All other hives are slowing down, as the nectar is scarce and all hives are getting ready for winter.  That is all but the one hive as you described.

My plan is to remove a frame of brood and give to a newly created 8/30 nuc.  In my area, sept swarms are actually absconds and the swarms are weak, stressed from whatever caused the hive evacuation.  To late in season for me to split this over crowded hive.  So like I said, remove a frame of brood and just keep an eye on this particular hive. 

Georgia has a much warmer climate than my area so I will leave swarm issues to Jim (sawdust) and others of similar climate to yours.  An inspection should reveal info such as drone brood which is first step of swarming, then queen cells.  An overcrowded hive is a good problem to have.  Maybe you have an outstanding queen and no action is required.

Van

Good advise Mr Van
Title: Re: Add room, split or leave them alone.
Post by: Fishing-Nut on September 20, 2019, 09:31:59 am
Thank you folks. Yes mr.beavo this is an 8 frame deep hive. And van they are making a few drone cells right now. Not a whole lot though.  They had made a pretty good patch of them a few weeks ago but now it's very few. We have hit our fall weather and the night time temps are dipping into the 50's....not for long though,  next week is forecasted for the 90's again. Welcome to Georgia!
Title: Re: Add room, split or leave them alone.
Post by: van from Arkansas on September 20, 2019, 01:45:14 pm
Good morning.  I inspected the booming hive this AM.  Packed with honey, packed with bees and very little room for the queen to lay.

So I removed an outer frame of capped honey from boom hive and gave the honey to an August created nuc.  I took an empty frame from the nuc and placed in the middle of boom hive so the queen has a place to lay her Fall bees.

The original plan as texted above was to take a frame of brood from the boom hive but there was no frame of mostly brood due to honey stores.  Brood frames were filled with honey.  That is why I presented an empty waxed out frame to the brood area.

The queen in the August created nuc lays a shotgun pattern of brood.  I was not impressed with the brood pattern.  The queen is only 3 weeks old so I will use patience with her.  Next spring I will evaluate this queen and support or replace her as an inspections advise.

Van
Title: Re: Add room, split or leave them alone.
Post by: Oldbeavo on September 20, 2019, 05:52:34 pm
If you are worried about there being enough room then add the super, as the season slows pack them back down to a single for winter.
It is amazing how what seems to be too many bees will pack down into a single. they seem to do well packed in tight.
We are happy with lids full of honey at the end of the season as it is a reserve of a couple of frames of honey. The lids are 42mm deep and with no hive mat can hold a bit of honey.
Back filling of brood with honey is a sign that they are shutting down for winter, not that they have run out of room.
Van
Be interesting whether the frame you removed, that the replacement will be filled with honey, not brood?
Title: Re: Add room, split or leave them alone.
Post by: Acebird on September 21, 2019, 11:00:26 am
Never split at the end of a season.
Title: Re: Add room, split or leave them alone.
Post by: FatherMichael on September 21, 2019, 12:34:01 pm
If you are using a hive mat, take it out and let them fill the lid with honey as a winter store

What a great idea!
Title: Re: Add room, split or leave them alone.
Post by: BAHBEEs on September 23, 2019, 10:50:54 am
what the devil is a "Hive Mat"?