Author Topic: Bees are not filling top brood chamber (Read 2963 times)

tom · « **on:** July 18, 2006, 11:59:23 pm »

Howdy

My first hive is doing well but they have stop drawing out some of the frames should i reverse the top with the bottom or just leave it alone. but i am also using the full entrance of the entrance reducer should i just go ahead and pull it all the way out or leave it be.

Tom

Finsky · « **Reply #1 on:** July 19, 2006, 01:50:32 am »

You need not to react all the time if bees do not do what you think. They have their habits and you should live according that.

If they do not work, reason is that there are not enough food on fields. You cannot force them do nothing or at least it is harmfull for bees.

Look at entrance ventilators what is proper size of entrance. If they are any in summer day it is too cold or they do not get food.

Brian D. Bray · « **Reply #2 on:** July 19, 2006, 08:38:16 am »

Bees will draw out comb as they need it either to raise brood or to store honey. If they are not building comb it is for 1 of 2 reasons: 1. There's not enough bees to tend the comb that is there so drawing more comb will wait until brood hatching creates a need for more drawn comb, or 2. There is insufficient honey flow to stimulate the need to draw more comb which can be from a momenntary lull in available crops flowering.

Don't worry when the bees need more space (more comb) they can draw it out and fill it at a rate of a super a week.

tom · « **Reply #3 on:** July 19, 2006, 09:58:53 am »

Hello

Thank you gentlemen for the advice they are working good in the mornings and late evenings but they slow down in the afternoon and they are bringing in a good amountof both pollen and nectar i was just wondering about this and you both answered my question it is good to get different opinion on things and i am learning my craft a little better each time. As for the entrance reducer it is on the wide open part and not the winter one but they don't seem to mine.

Tom

Brian Sisson · « **Reply #4 on:** July 19, 2006, 12:42:16 pm »

My 2 hives would not draw out the 2nd deep I put on, despite the fact that the 1st deep was completely full & covered in bees.
They went a month and a half without touching the 2nd deep- then this last Sunday I went in and checkerboarded the untouched deep and when I checked them last night saw they had started drawing comb on every empty frame.

One of my hives even swarmed rather than expland into the new deep.

I'm just sayin'- sometimes they don't understand that the new deep is there to be used.

Something to ponder.
-B.

Finsky · « **Reply #5 on:** July 19, 2006, 01:54:59 pm »

Beeds understand very well what they are doing. Brian told reasons why thy don't occuoy new box:
* They are not able to keep it warm new room.
* They get not nectar enough
* They want to swarm

Brian Sisson · « **Reply #6 on:** July 19, 2006, 02:51:46 pm »

Now...I'm new- but I know that two of the reasons that Finsky listed were not true.
The temps here when I put the 2nd deep on were an average of 90* day and 70* night.
As to nectar, I had 4 acres of clover planted all around the hives and all of that was in full bloom. And my neighbor's gardens were in full bloom. And they seemed to have no trouble finding nectar and pollen to fill any and all space in the frames they had already pulled out.

And as to them already wanting to swarm- the one that swarmed was a new hive of a Dadant package I hived on April 1st of this year.

I think that the reason mine were not filling out the new frames was either that I got some frames that they didn't like (I have replaced those with other frames and they are working them), or they didn't realize they were supposed to fill them as I put the new deep on the bottom and didn't checkerboard it.

I dunno. All I know is that it's been hot as hell all year and that those bees ain't seen a night below 65* since they arrived.
-B.

Finsky · « **Reply #7 on:** July 19, 2006, 03:33:02 pm »

Quote from: Brian Sisson

Now...I'm new- but I know that two of the reasons that Finsky listed were not true..................

Yes, I don't know. Beekeeping is often complicated to beginner. Too much fine systems I suppose :P

32C is quite hot. It is same as in brood area.

Brian D. Bray · « **Reply #8 on:** July 20, 2006, 12:38:39 am »

>>they are working good in the mornings and late evenings but they slow down in the afternoon

In the mornings the flowers are fresh with nectar that is usually harvested by the bees by early afternoon. The afternoon lulls then set in and in the early evening the drones and juvenile bees on training flight as well as the water bucket bees etc are all returning to the hive so it looks much busier than it really is.

>>One of my hives even swarmed rather than expland into the new deep.

They did just the opposite then didn't expand into the super because they were in a swarm mentality, probably because there was a delay in getting the super on early enough.

>>Now...I'm new- but I know that two of the reasons that Finsky listed were not true.
The temps here when I put the 2nd deep on were an average of 90* day and 70* night.

Finsky is not talking about weather temperate but rather the ability of the bees to keep the brood area at a constant temperate. Bees will not expand comb beyond a certain point unless they have the ability to keep the brood area at a given temperate--as the hive expands so does the brood area and without enough bees to cover the comb the brood will get cold and you then end up with either chillbrood or chalkbrood.