> From:         Roland Gendreau <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject:      Re: Supering Strategy
> ...
> What I've been thinking is to stay with a single brood chamber with a
> queen excluder, and install 3-4 supers by late May.  When I take off
> the supers by August 1, I would then remove the queen excluder and
> install the Apistan strips and a second deep brood chamber.
>
> My new strategy would be to manage the hive for early season honey
> production, put the strips in in early August and let the bees use
> the late season flow for their stores.
>
This is how I am managing my new packages installed this spring.
 
> The risk is that if there is weak late season honey flow, the bees
> would not be able to fill the second deep.  Since I have quite a bit
> of honey from a hive that died over the winter, I could feed it to
> them in September if required.
>
You can do two things to help your bees fill the second brood chamber.
Feed sugar syrup (you might consider including Fumidil-B as a nosema
preventative) or you could use the honey from the hive that died last
year as the outside two frames on both sides of the brood chamber with
six frames of foundation in the center.  The bees can then expand into
the foundation frames.
 
> My other concern is whether a single deep may encourage swarming; is
> there sufficient brood real estate in a single deep or would
> overcrowding occur?  The package I installed last season swarmed in
> early June even with a second deep.
>
A legitimate concern.  Watch the single brood chamber for signs of
swarming, and if indicated, destroy queen cells, pull a couple of frames
to make a split on top of the honey supers over a double screen board.
This should (may) deter the swarmy brood chamber and jump start the
second brood chamber.  After harvesting your honey supers, combine the
two brood chambers and put the Apistan strips in.
 
I have not tried this management technique, but for reasons similar to
your own, it's the technique I have envisioned for this year.  Great
minds work alike!  The mites have changed the nature of beekeeping, so
new management techniques deserve investigation.
 
Aaron Morris - I think, therefore I bee!