I live in Bavaria, and it’s my second year beekeeping, with the Flow Hive 2+, with 10 frame brood box. It’s 10 August, and we are entering Autumn with the days getting now shorter as we head towards winter. It’s still hot now, 30C days this week, and winter days on average can be min -7 to max 4C.
Little background on my hive. Last year being my first year was a steep learning curve, although I had support from local beekeepers, I had no honey, and 5 swarms. I ended up catching 2 swarms and housed them in Langstroth hives. Entering winter, all three hives were not large, and although 2 survived almost through winter, they all died.
I ordered a Nuc before spring this year, and it arrived beginning of May with 5 frames, about 2.5kg Buckfast bees, and a Buckfast queen. I put the 5 frames in my FLow hive, with 5 empty fondationless frames. By end of May it was full, all 10 frames with brood, pollen, honey, and the bees were up in the super working. At that point, the queen swarmed, and I captured it, putting it in a Langstroth hive, with 3 frames partly built out, and remaining empty frames. Within 2 weeks it was full again. That buckfast queen is prolific, and the bees really friendly.
The new queen in the Flow hive went to work laying, and within 2 week the population exploded. She then swarmed, and I captured here with the swarm, putting them in the second Langstroth hive, with 10 empty frames as I had none filled out. It took them 1 month to fill it fully, with honey, pollen, and brood but it’s now pumping. All three hives, the Flow, and 2 Langstroth hives are full, and healthy.
My flow hive brood box is full, honey, pollen, brood. The bees are hard working and brining masses of pollen back daily. Bees are up in the super working, and for the first time I see the beginnings of them storing honey up there. This is the point I am on edge, because i don’t want them to swarm. It’s almost mid August, heading to Autumn, and speaking to a local beekeeper, they say the bees will be starting to build up the winter bees.
QUESTIONS:
I have a second brood box there, and I’m wondering if it’s too late now to add it to the flow hive. Given how hard working they are, and how prolific layers the queens are, would they have time to build out the extra frames, and use them for their winter food store?
Similarly, I have extra brood boxes for the Langstroth hives. I could add them to those hives. Does it help the colonies to have 2 brood boxes in a climate with a cold winter as we have in Bavaria?
I would appreciate any advice or information from experienced beekeepers on this topic.