Filling the Drone comb with honey

[Helmuthd]

We've had some great weather here in California the last 3 weeks, most days have been around 65 degrees' F.   :)

I've put on the top feeder in hopes that the bees would finish drawing comb on the last few empty frames in the box, and make room for more brood ( I'm only using one deep hive body rite now). Their making honey on all the new frames, including the Pierco Drone Comb!  I was hoping to add a second deep hive body to up the bee count, but now I'm wondering if I should just add the first honey super?  Thoughts and advice?

I've got Italian "Mutts" from a trap out last year, and their doing great. No signs of any Drones as of yet.

[Kathyp]

don't put the honey supers on and feed. when is your main flow? IF your lower box is getting full of bees/honey/pollen  pull some of the frames from the middle of the box. replace with empty.  put pulled in the middle of the new box.  add new box.  wouldn't bother with drone comb, but that's a choice thing.  don't let them get crowded or they'll swarm on you.

[AllenF]

Pull the green frame and return it when they start making drones.  How many frames have been filled?   You better add that second deep box for them.

[Finski]

We've had some great weather here in California the last 3 weeks, most days have been around 65 degrees' F.   :)

I've put on the top feeder in hopes that the bees would finish drawing comb on the last few empty frames in the box,

What I understand is that the colony is guite small. But for future it depends how much it has capped brood cells which emerge soon.

They cannot occupye all frames. There is no hurry to add boxes before they fill the one box.

Feeding this small colony plus  nectar flow means that  valuable combs will be filled and the colony canno lay as much as it othrewise does. The result may be swarming and bees escape.  Take care of that more than adding boxes.

[Finski]

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Helmuthd, we get better picture if you tell how many brood frames you have now, how much capped brood and how much larvae.

Have you capped honey frames there or pollen frames? If is, take such off and give a foundation instead.

Colony draw combs as soon as they need new space. Don't feed them.

[Helmuthd]

Update:

I checked things out again today, and going with Punxsutawney Phil's advice, and that of others, I decided to put on the second box.  I removed the honey filled Drone comb and placed 1/2 of the brood frames in the top, and the other 1/2 in the bottom (on top of each other of course, so they can retain their heat).  The bees looked great and vibrant!