Just read Tom Seeley's ABJ piece on 'Darwininan Beekeeping'. Interesting
read. Seeley advocates for a smaller brood chamber - 1 deep - and I
suspect that relates to his work on the preference of swarms for a 40 liter
sized cavity. I live in the mid Atlantic where we have an early intense
honey flow and after switching from 1.5 to double brood chambers 10 years
ago my honey yields have dropped. I think a lot of honey stays in the
upper brood chamber so I have switched back to single brood chambers. This
season will tell the tale.
A single is a challenge for swarm management and can be a real challenge
during nectar droughts as they are prone to dwindle and starve even in the
summer. I intend to pull division board feeders at the start of the flow
and insert 2 frames of foundation as a 'pressure relief' (against Seeley's
recommendations). Does anyone have any thoughts or recommendations for
this strategy?
I am keeping bees to make money, by-the-way, for you Darwinians......
Bill Lord
Louisburg, NC
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