Worldwide Beekeeping

Beekeeping => Beekeeping 101 => Topic started by: CpnObvious on August 01, 2014, 07:07:55 pm

Title: All at the bottom... what are they doing?
Post by: CpnObvious on August 01, 2014, 07:07:55 pm
Hives #2 & #3 are good and strong.  #3 must be pushing the 55,000 be mark... it's INSANE!!!  I think I commented in one of my posts that when I did my inspections last Saturday and too the upper deep off they poured out of the bottom deep like water overflowing from a glass.  We did take the entrance reducers out... they can clearly defend the hive.

I'll be doing my inspections tomorrow, probably, but I need some advice to go in prepared with...

4 or so weeks ago I added the second deep.  I put it on top, not under, but eggs and larva are present in the upper deep and they are slowly building out the comb.

I took a look a little while ago in through the entrances of #2 & #3... there are "millions" of bees in the entrance.  They're not bearding on the outside at all, but the entrance is JAM PACKED on the inside with bees.  There were a bunch in the upper deep last weekend when I inspected... but not nearly what I would have expected based on how the bottom looks.  It's 75-deg F out and a bit humid.  Could they be over heating, but not fanning?  What's going on?  I couldn't get a clear picture with my phone, but will see what I can do with the camera tomorrow.

The bottom board is screened, but sealed at the moment with 1/2 insulation board.  I will be putting MAQS (formic acid) pads into both these hive tomorrow, if that makes any difference to what you may suggest.

~Cpn
Title: Re: All at the bottom... what are they doing?
Post by: iddee on August 01, 2014, 08:48:08 pm
I would check the outside frames in the bottom box and if they are full of honey and/or pollen, I would move them up to the top box. Put the empty frames from the top box in the bottom box in the 2 and 9 positions if it's a 10 frame box.