James McDaniel <[log in to unmask]> writes:

> I have heard several things, but does the house bees move the honey stores
> come spring time higher to give the queen room to lay.

I can't answer your question in a general way, but I can share with
you an interesting experience I had last summer.  My colony became
queenless through beekeeper error, and the bees started backfilling
the brood nest with nectar as it emptied of brood.  When I put in a
QMP stick (to prevent laying workers while I got my hands on another
queen), the backfilled area was cleared, and the brood nest turned
back into empty cells awaiting eggs.

> or do they use it where it is at and as they consume the honey, the
> queen will then start laying in the newly empty cells?

I can't tell you that the nectar in the brood nest wasn't consumed,
but it seems unlikely; at that point there was no brood to feed,
and nectar was coming in.  I think the bees moved it.

Anne, backyard beekeeper.

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