Queen moved out of upper deep?

[tbonekel]

I did another inspection yesterday of two hives. I didn't have time to do a really good look, but one hive seemed kind of different. It seems that the queen has moved out of the top deep and they have reserved it for honey storage. On may third (six days ago) I saw everything that you want to see in a hive in that deep. I looked in the bottom deep and saw lots of capped brood and various stages of larvae but I didn't see eggs. I didn't have time to look really good and only looked at about half the deep. I fed this hive about 2 quarts of syrup on the third because they didn't have much, but that's not the case now. I think there is a flow on. I didn't put on a super, because they still have some room. Also, one frame in the top was 100% drone cell size. If I had had more time, I would have removed that frame and used the comb for other things, but I left it in. I didn't see a queen, but I think she is still there, but they had a nasty attitude about me getting down in that lower box.

[tbonekel]

One other thing I need to add to this. The reason I had to stop the inspection was because an A/C guy showed up to look at our air conditioning system. Our outside unit is probably about 30-40 feet from the hives. there were a handful of bees that were still mad and constantly dive bombed us. I got dinged in the cheek and neck, he got one in the arm. I had to give him my bee jacket so he could work. It was pretty embarrassing for me.

[LazyBkpr]

I have ONE hive that is much as you say..   Got a sting on the finger last week, got stung on the neck this week. Had about six really angry bees follow me when I finished inspection of that hive, bouncing off my face...   Annoyed.. I did the bringing together of hands trick.. you know the one where it makes a loud pop and a bee dies?   One hive that will get re queened next month when I raise queens. I may put this queen in a nuc for the winter..   Flow IS on, nectar and pollen coming in prolifically.. the bees at this time of year should be exuberantly happy and mellow.
   My yards here are all within a hundred yards of the house, I can't have mean bees nearby.
   You might want to get a super on before they build a honey dome over the brood chamber.. Don't remember if you use deeps as brood chambers and mediums as supers?  If you use all mediums you can move some of the honey up and avoid the problem.

[blueblood]

I bet she is in there.  It sounds like one of those moments where ya say, sleep on it and try again in the morning.  Sounds like you were rushed anyway.  That is crazy about the hvac guy having to wear you suit, but a little humorous...at least on my end...

[tbonekel]

   You might want to get a super on before they build a honey dome over the brood chamber.. Don't remember if you use deeps as brood chambers and mediums as supers?  If you use all mediums you can move some of the honey up and avoid the problem.

At this time, this hive consists of two deeps as the brood chambers. The honey super will be mediums.  What is a honey dome? I guess I could bring up a brood frame or two from the bottom to encourage her to come back up to the top. That may or may not work.

[blueblood]

Do you need her in the top?  Typically, my queens move down mid spring for the season.

[tbonekel]

Well, maybe not, blue. I didn't realize that. Once again, I probably need to let them do what they think is right unless that means swarming and I don't want them to think that is right. If I put a super on, I would be interested to see if they move what they have now into the super and open up that top deep again for brood.

[LazyBkpr]

They will move up as needed, the honey dome usually presents a barrier that the queen does not cross. If they fill the top of the deep with honey, THEN you put supers on, it is likely to keep the brood chamber restricted despite the extra room. We all know how bad congestion in a hive is..   Some hives will re arrange, moving the honey up into the supers and opening the brood chamber back up, but I have had situations where this did not happen.. they just started filling the supers with nectar rather than re arranging, which in turn limited the size of the brood chamber, and I had swarm cells by mid June.

   LOL, you posted while I was typing.. looks like youir already on top of the situation. 

[riverbee]

"It seems that the queen has moved out of the top deep and they have reserved it for honey storage. On may third (six days ago) I saw everything that you want to see in a hive in that deep. I looked in the bottom deep and saw lots of capped brood and various stages of larvae but I didn't see eggs......I fed this hive about 2 quarts of syrup on the third because they didn't have much, but that's not the case now. I think there is a flow on. I didn't put on a super, because they still have some room....... I guess I could bring up a brood frame or two from the bottom to encourage her to come back up to the top..........."

tbone, if you didn't reverse she will always (typically) move down. if you did reverse, she will move up and lay up in the 2nd deep til she runs out of room and go back down to the 1st deep. when she runs out of room in the first deep, she goes back to the 2nd deep IF she has room to lay there.  if you fed syrup and there is a flow on, don't let the 2nd deep (or the 1st deep) get plugged up with syrup or honey, you don't need to move brood frames up to the 2nd deep, you just need open space in the center frames for her to lay in, and you don't want your bees swarming.......with that said, and based on your posts, i would put a super on.