Just starting out this year with a new Flow Hive and have a few questions that someone in Southern Ontario Canada could hopefully answer?
My first brood box is 90+% full and I’m not sure if I should add another or add the Flow frames. I’d like them to have enough honey to last the winter without being fed.
Also, in the space between the frames where I initially had the queen cage, the bees have built out the comb to the point were the 2 frames are an 1"+ apart with no hope of getting them closer to where they should be. During one week they actually built another separate full size comb in the space!
So should I leave all that extra comb? Every time I try to scrap it down I get a tsunami of honey/nectar running down the frame! But there is so much comb on the 2 frames it’s difficult to find the queen…
Thanks for any help and advice!
Derrick
Hey Derrick, welcome to the group. I see you are in Acton, I’m 4 hours south of you near Windsor. With the cold winters we experience, and especially where you are I would add another brood box to be safe since there isn’t enough of the beekeeping season left to get a full honey super on. The bees will then sort out a mix of honey reserves in the 2nd box and brood expansion if they need it. Next spring you can then decide to do a split and have 2 hives and put the flow hive on the 1st box and you will be in good shape for the season.
If all your frames are in your box then I wouldn’t worry about the frames that are built out a bit further. If you don’t have all the frames in there then I would pull that one that is larger and put it in the new 2nd brood box and put in two frames in the brood box and all will be well in no time.
Cheers!
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Thanks for the advice Tim, I’ll get the 2nd box set up tomorrow!
D
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