change over from standard brood box to 14x12
Classic way is to place a 14x12box of frames of foundation over a.queen excluder during a good honey flow!
This will be drawn and filled with honey with the advantage that the resultant combs will be lovely and straight.
Once extracted(the gravity method if you don't possess a suitable extractor) Remove queen excluder replace wet 14x12 and the bees will move up el-rapido :)
Job done painlessly
WW
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Larger Brood Boxes - Options
I have come across quite a few beekeepers who have converted to 14 x 12 and hear 2 slight objections to the 14 x 12 frame. One is that the bees struggle to draw out the full depth and two that the frame is rather unwieldy to handle (a bit deep). There is an alternative slightly "off standard" method of increasing brood box size -the 14 x 10. Frames can be made up using standard BS top and bottom bars and Commercial 16 x 10 side bars. Foundation has to be "clipped" from Commercial 16 x 10. A standard BS brood box can be adapted to suit simply by screwing a 38mm (1.5") eke onto the bottom. The bees draw 10" deep frames well and the 14 x 10 is nice to handle. A suggestion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
andy
i have 2 hives with standard brood boxes and would like to change over to
14x12 brood boxes . Can anyone tell me the best way to do the changeover.
Seems like the best time of the year while the colony size is small
but not sure best way to do it, any advice please, thanks.
change over from standard brood box to 14x12
I haven't found a problem with 14x12s! I neither find them unwieldy nor do my bees have trouble drawing foundation,this they do with ease including adding drone cells along the bottom bars!
In my previous post I did suggest placing foundation above a QX during a honey flow to facilitate straight comb!
I did this with BS boxes ,not because of any 'difficulty but rather because bees presented with foundation for which they don't have an immediate use for mess around, draw in random patches chew holes through it ETC.
Like children they need meaningful occupation or they become mischievous :)
WW
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