change over from standard brood box to 14x12

[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.

[Poly Hive]

When the colony is up to a good strength, in my book at least 8 frames of brood, then put the new box on top and if all foundation and the weather not so great then a feed too would assist. 1:1 syrup. Remember it takes a lot of eneergy to produce wax so asking a small unit to do it is stressing them considerably. When they are well established above then put in an excluder to keep the queen up there and 24 days later you are transferred. Super above as required.

KISS

PH

[andy]

thanks v much everyone for all the advice on changing to 14x12 brood boxes ,will have a go when colonies up to strength, andy

[gavin]

I would do it as soon as the weather warms, maybe early April or even sooner if there are decent days to do a manipulation. Restrict the colony in the lower box with dummy boards to the brood nest and not much more, maybe with polystyrene behind them if the colony isn't that strong, and put a similarly dummied deep box on top, with a feeder above. Bees find it easier to work up than out in spring so there is no need to delay until the box is nearly full.

If you have unused stores outside the brood nest in your lower box you can score them and put them to the sides of the upper box for a short while (not over the active brood nest or the queen will lay in them) or save them to use with splits and swarms later.

Rather like a Bailey comb change.

[fatshark]

Shook swarm? Probably the simplest approach of all ... and lowers the pathogen load in the hive.

--
fatshark

[Neils]

Always feel that a shook swarm for something like this, assuming the colony is otherwise of healthy appearence, is rather a waste of brood.

The more fiddly way would be to make some cardboard/wood inserts to fit the bottom of the frames and transfer existing frames with brood/stores into the 14x12 box and then replace them in a piecemeal fashion with 14x12 frames from then.

[Poly Hive]

These will indeed all work but I wonder at the stress levels.

PH

[Black Comb]

I've done all 3 transferring national to poly.
Shook swarm I think is the easiest and quickest, but you need the colony to be strong.
Ph's method works fine as well.

[wee willy]

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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[alan riach]

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.

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.