On Sat, 4 Apr 1998, James C Bach wrote:
 
> 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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Conrad Sigona
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