Multiple Queens in the hive

Beekeeping - Basics
83

I’m just liking the idea of one box for brood, even during swarming season. Naturally I have to exercise swarm control but I’m making lots of new colonies to sell etc. I found with 2 supers for brood a lot of the frames in the bottom box don’t get used for anything significant, becoming a target for shb damage.

84

After taking another look at that photo, it’s obvious that you could put the tape measure anywhere you like to get the desired measurement.

1 Like
85

I don’t know anything about Rose hives except boxes are all the same size, ( I seem to remember the inventor trying to advertise them on another beekeeping forum) which is why I am asking…
dexter, is the brood nest across two boxes and are you adding a whole empty box between them?

86

After taking another look at that photo, it’s obvious that you could put the tape measure anywhere you like to get the desired measurement

Sure. Thickness of natural comb varies by it’s use and somewhat just because it varies. That point was 30mm (1 1/8"). Most of it was 32mm (1 1/4"). Where there was any drone comb or on the outside edges where there was honey it was 35mm (1 3/8"). Yes, I could find any variation in that range in that broodnest. I’ve been doing top bars since 1974 and watching the bees react to sizes from 32mm to 38mm (1 1/2"). In the brood nest they will cheat the 38mm bars and only build 32mm comb on them until they are in the middle of two bars. With 32mm they stay on the bars. With 32mm in the honey area they will cheat the combs bigger until they are also in the middle of the bars. That is why my top bar hives have half and half. Half 32mm and half 38mm. 32mm is for the brood and 38mm is for the honey.

88

Have you done it?
I see people arguing about putting one frame of foundation in the middle of the brood nest in the UK and here you are putting a whole box.

1 Like
90

So are you leaving those two boxes or have you taken the honey?
I presume if you leave them the bees will be in the top box by the time you look in next spring?

Oh PS. What would you do if having added that empty box the weather was pants for a month?
Happens in the UK, did this year.
I’m not having a go, really, just very interested.

91

Well done Michael, well that clears that up.