Kilos of honey above the flow frames

I’ve had this open not that long ago… The was lots of beetle and a lot of honey. I’ve put a lower plate over the flow frames now. Should I put a second brood box in ?

Hi Andrew, with your ultra mild and short Winters there is no advantage in running a second brood box and a few reasons against it. If your hive is a bit down in bee numbers that SHB is an issue then a couple of those ‘beetle blaster traps’ that sit between the frames with some cooking oil in them will be a help. When I was based in the Hawkesbury and had hives as far away as Mudgee my mentor then had a rule that unless there was frosts over night then a single brood box was the way to go. Back then Richmond and especially Mudgee had harsh frosts. It has taken a while for me to adapt to the sub-tropical climate I’m in now where the bee cluster is always strong. Cheers

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