Bailey comb change

Carrying out a Bailey comb change early in the season.

Knowing from my hive records that this hive had a large number of brood frames of about 3 years old, the bees would benifit from new foundation on which to draw out and the queen to lay in for the 2017 season (it would improve the health of the collony).

 On a warm day at the end of March I placed an other brood box with 11 frames of new foundation over this brood box above.  I fed about 6 litres of thick syrup in an English feeder housed in an empty supper to enable them to draw the foundation out (not in the photos).  Over the proceding week and a half, I checked that foundation was being draw out and I then went through the lower brood box and carfully picked up and place the queen in the upper box with a queen excluder inbetween so she wouldn't go back down to the lower brood box.  My 2016 Queen has a spot of white paint on her thorax and so is easier to find.

 

The lower brood box entrance was closed and the upper one opened.  This was to encourage the bees to use and store nectar/pollen in the new box to feed the developing larvae.

Above is a frame of new drawn foundation from the upper brood box with capped brood, larvae, eggs and nectar.  A possible reason for the peper pot patten I believe is how and where the bees have stored nectar, generally toward the edge of the larvae/egg field but some empty cell in the centre have nectar, some have developing larvae.

In the bottom brood box capped brood emerging, some pollen and nectar and shiny empty cells but importantly no eggs or larvae.  These old dark frames once all the bees have emerged can be rendered or destroyed.  I have found that melting old comb like this results in a lot of mess and very little wax, also trying to scrub and sterilise the old brood wooden frames is a wast of time and energy, I suggest burning them.

As of the 9th April I've added a supper of drawn foundation and a queen excluder under this, above the new brood box (a queen excluder remains under the new bood box also) to encourage the bees to put their stores up (bees tend to put stores above brood than bellow) and so not congest the new brood box.

Happy bees are healthy bees and more productive and they are developing fast so more suppers will have to be ready to be add soon.