Rod Rupert asks how to switch hives from deeps to mediums boxes.
 
The way I do it is to reduce the hive to one deep box in the spring.  I
move pollen into the top deep brood nest box if necessary, and remove the
bottom box to the garage.  If the colony is six combs of bees with three
combs of brood, I add one western, if the colony is nine combs of bees with
six combs of brood, I add two westerns.  Feed as necessary, or if the
westerns contain foundation.
 
Add westerns as needed so as not to crowd the brood nest.  This can be
checked easily by coming out at night with a flashlite covered with red
celophane and lifting the second and subsequent westerns to see how crowded
the bees are.  If they cover the combs densely from wall to wall they are
two crowded.  A little experience with judging density of the bees is
quickly gained.
 
When the queen has moved up into the first and second western, I turn the
remaining deep box upside down.  The brood will hatch and usually the bees
will not store pollen or honey in cells that slope downward; Provided, that
you have put on enough westerns for them to store pollen to the sides of
and below the brood rearing area.  If you have enough westerns on, the bees
will readily move up and out of the deep as the brood hatches.
 
At times I have put a queen excluder on top of the up-turned deep to keep
the queen from going back down where there are eggs and open brood.  But I
no longer think this is necessary if you put the eggs and open brood in the
center of the deep with emerging and capped brood to the sides of the open
brood.  When there is only capped brood in the deep (10-14 days later) and
most of the colony can cluster above the deep an excluder is not needed, or
may be removed.
 
James C. Bach
 
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