Adding a Queen Excluder and Super, Finding Brace Comb & adding a frame.
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- čas přidán 20. 06. 2017
- Today we felt it was time to add a Queen Excluder and a Super to allow them to store more of the nectar above the brood nest and give their queen more room for laying eggs. What we didn't expect to see was quite so much brace comb that had been built in the space left at the end of the frames nearest the brood box wall.
In this series of video we aim to help the beginner beekeeper by setting up an apiary from the start of the 2017 season and establishing a new bee hive by selecting a nucleus colony as if we had purchased it and following it's progress through the entire season.
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Nicely done! Really do enjoy following your progress...
Hi Tim,
Thanks for the comments, this colony is building up nicely now.
Stewart
Great video as always! Excellent way to show how important maintaining bee space is. When I started watching this series I was wondering about that huge gap and being taught to maintain bee space. Keep up the good work. Another question, what do you think about the Apimaye hives? As I mentioned in another video, this will be mystery 1st season in the hobby. That's for your help. Have a blessed day.
Thanks for your comments Sadiq.
I've not used the Apimaye beehives so don't really know how they compare to the types I have used.
Stewart
I enjoyed this series as well as the many other very useful and informative videos you have posted. One question though. What happened to that outside frame of brood that you wanted to replace? It seems to me that the queen will likely continue to lay eggs in it as long as she has access to it. I would love to know how you would generally go about replacing old frames in the brood box with new ones, and if it requires placing them in a spare brood box on top of a queen excluder, or if there might be some clever way of allowing the brood to hatch, without the queen laying new eggs, so the frame can be discarded without any loss.
A nice video. I especially like how tidy your hive is. I realize I need to tighten up my hives. My questions is; near the end of the video you spoke about taking the brace comb and using it for wax exchange in the colder months. Can you explain what you mean by "wax exchange"? I have not heard that term before. Thanks.
Hi Dell,
Thanks for commenting. I'd like to say all my hives are that tidy but alas, it's a newish hive with a new colony, let's see how the next 12 months makes it look!
So with wax exchange here in the UK we save all of the excess wax, brace comb, damaged frames etc. and melt out the wax, strain it and then swap it with wax foundation suppliers for new sheets to go back into the hives. It saves some money instead of buying new sheets outright.
Stewart
I have never heard of wax exchange but then I am relatively new to this. It may be practiced in the States as well but only by the big guys I would imagine. I am going to believe that all your hives are that tidy so that I might emulate your style. One of these days I might make a video showing how I fight to remove my frames and fuss with the bees to get out of the way. Or maybe not! Thanks for the reply and for sharing knowledge.
It is a pleasure to watch you work. My question for today is, why are your hives so big? Mine, in the USA are ten frame and there are eight frame available, but I have never seen a twelve frame. You may have answered this before, but I just stumbled onto your videos, yesterday, and I am trying to catch up.
Hi Stanley,
Thanks for commenting.
Here in the U.K. The traditional hive used is called the National hive and normally uses 11 frames, the commercial hive that I use has the same footprint and also normally accepts 11 frames. There is however enough space for a 12th frame which would normally not be used instead we would use a dummy board, I just didn't have a spare dummy board at the time.
Stewart
Hey Stewart Greetings from Jamaica! Colony looks nice and strong and really calm! As usual your videos are Great! Very Informative and Simple and well explained!
Keep it up!
P.S. My splits are Doing well! Thank you!
Hi Nathan,
Thanks for commenting, Beekeeping in Jamaica, now that sounds like paradise :)
Glad your splits are doing well, have you ever thought of doing the odd video to show everyone? Take some pictures at least, I'd love to see where you keep your bees.
Stewart
Hi Stewart, another excellent video - thank you. Quick question: why do you leave the feeder/clearing holes open on your crown board?
Hi Peter,
Thanks for your comments. I leave the holes in the crownboard open to help with ventilation through the Summer months.
Stewart
How do you Store your supers? What is the best way and how do you prevent it from getting eaten up by wax moth? or fungus? etc?
Hi Nathan,
Wax moth and fungal problems don't affect the supers much if at all during the Summer months. It is usually during the Winter that the problems occur. I'll probably make a video showing acetic acid treatments in the Autumn.
Stewart
Hi Stewart.
I'm loving the tutorials. You're answering loads of questions, but the more I watch, the more questions you're provoking!
I'm excited that my two national hives will arrive tomorrow and I can get started assembling the hives and frames.
A friend of mine, has two nucleus colonies for me, both raised by him each with a queen he has produced. I'm getting "mates rates," on the colonies. Would you advise leaving him to over winter the bees, with me paying for feeding them, or should I get the nukes onto my property, and either leave them in their nuke box or move them into my national hives?
Sorry, loads on dumb questions!
Thanks again
Stuart
Hi Stuart,
let your friend take care of them until mid-Spring. I know there is a temptation to get them as soon as possible but you want them to be growing strongly and able to draw frames of foundation fast when you put them into your nice new hives.
You should not need to pay any more than you have agreed for the nucs regarding food etc. unless you feel you want to make that offer. Fondant for them would only cost around £3 per kilo for the good stuff. Here's a link to the stuff I'm using with excellent results. www.happyvalleyhoney.co.uk/product/apipasta-fondant-with-added-vitamins-and-proteins/
Let your friend take on the responsibility for getting them through the Winter and then take ownership in late April or early May once the risk of the coldest weather has gone.
Stewart
Were did you get your feeder? I like that one and would order some. Maybe a name on it and I can search for it. Thanks!
Ron Kuney - you get them from Thornes Beekeeping supplies in the U.K. Look up 'rapid feeder'. They're very commonly used in the U.K. and Ireland
If you had a super with only foundation would you continue to feed?
Hi Jack,
Thanks for commenting, great question. The answer is no, with the brood box I'm looking for the bees to draw comb and fill with some of the sugar syrup for their own use, whereas the super we want filled with honey and if we feed them to get them to draw out the foundation they will start storing sugar syrup in the frames as soon as they have draw the out just a little. This then contaminates the actual honey that they store and is of no use to the beekeeper. You could continue feeding if you were going to use the super as part of the brood nest or if you were going to only use the super to feed back to the bees but I wouldn't do that myself as I would likely forget which super has the sugar syrup in it!
Stewart
Stewart just an opinion but I find if you centre your frames leaving a gap on both sides they won't build comb down from the crownboard like that
Hi Conor,
Thanks for the comments. I guess it's just habit that makes me push all the frames to one side, I usually have a dummy board and I like how much room it gives me to then carry out the inspections. I guess we all have our own way of doing things which is just fine :)
Stewart
Hi Conor - thanks for the tip👍
Hi Stewart. I find it very difficult to see eggs, indeed I cannot see them! Have you any tips for this please?
Hi Colin,
I am now having to wear reading glasses to see eggs so if you need glasses then wear them.
What you will find is on a good frame of brood in all stages, the older brood will be nearer the middle of the frame, if you find a frame like this and look from the middle towards the outside edge the brood will be younger and smaller until you get to the outside edge where you may well spot eggs. Once you see them you'll wonder why you've been missing them.
If you need to, first shake the bees off the frame gently into the brood box so you have an exposed area of brood to view.
Stewart
Thanks Stewart
One other thing. I thought you were going to remove the frame nearest you. Are you waiting for the brood to hatch?
Hi Stanley,
Yes, waiting for brood to emerge but now that has happen I will probably wait til Spring as the bee she have pretty much filled the frame with Winter stores.
Stewart
Is there a reason why I shouldn’t give them a super straight away?
Let's hope the queen wasn't on the crown board/brace comb otherwise she'll be on the floor or trapped in the super 😬
Hi Sam,
Fingers crossed! I did check the crownboard and the brace comb but queens do have a habit of hiding themselves really well when you know you'd really like to see her. If that has happened I think it would make for a useful video for new beekeepers, not that I'd be particularly happy about it!
We'll see next time and if it's happened, well, I'll just have to show you! :)
Stewart