Hello All
 
In this climate, beekeeping does not start in earnest until about the third
week in April. Most hives have only a few frames covered with bees,
certainly not every frame.
 
Imagine my surprise when I looked at a varroa insert in one of my hives the
other day, and found unmistakeable evidence from the tracks of the debris,
that every frame was occupied. On taking off the roof, (I did not lift the
crown board (inner cover)), I discovered that there were bees everywhere -
the crown board was absolutely covered with bees, and they had started
building comb and placing honey in it up through one of the feed holes.
 
I spoke to a few beekeepers about it, and most said to leave the hive alone,
as any addition of space could cause brood chilling.
 
This put me in a dilemma. If I did nothing, the queen would presumably stop
laying, or reduce her laying, and put the thought of swarming into her mind
for implementation later on. If I did something I might chill the brood and
cause loss of brood and stress on the bees.
 
In the end, I decided to put on a second brood chamber with drawn combs. I
was lucky that a nice mild day arrived. I removed two frames of food from
the lower brood chamber and inserted two frames of drawn comb beside the
brood nest (or where I judged it to be). I then placed the two frames of
food in the upper brood chamber. The hive concerned is a British National,
so I inerted sheets of insulating material which we call Aerobord into the
recessed sides of both chambers, to beef up the insulation. I also cut out a
sheet of this material the same size as the crown board (inner cover), with
feed holes and placed this on the crown board.
 
After two days I had another quick peek at the hive, by just lifting the
roof. I was amazed to see the bees again crowding on the crown board. I
would have thought that the bees - other than nurse bees - would have moved
into the upper brood chamber, and since this in effect gave them twice as
much room there should not be any 'overflow' on to the crown board.
 
What I would like to know, did I do the right thing by adding the extra
brood chamber?. And is there anything else I could have done or should do now?.
 
And why should just one hive in eight be absolutely bursting with bees?
 
And a final question should I use the queen as a breeder, all other things
being equal?.
 
 
Thanks for comments
 
Sincerely
 
Tom Barrett
49 South Park, Foxrock
Dublin 18
Ireland
Tel + 353 1 289 5269