It is about three or four weeks until swarm season here, and I have just rearranged my hives for early spring.
Les Crowder' book encourages long hive beeks to move any honey frames, leftover from last fall, to the entrance of the hive, which will allow the bees to expand the spring broodnest towards the back of the hive. It removes the honey barrier.
So now, at the entrance is ... 1. a frame of pollen. 2. a few frames of honey. 3. the broodnest. 4. a few frames of empty comb. 5. then rest of the empty box.
Looking back over last year's notes, I noted honey frames acting as a barrier between the broodnest and the back of the hive, but didn't understand the problem with that.
Anyone else tried this?