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Thread: Replacing brood frames

  1. #1

    Question Replacing brood frames

    Hi,
    I would like to replace two of the brood frames in my hive. This is because one is a shallow frame that the bees have extended, and both are fatter than they should be, making it difficult to find the queen. as the hive has had too much space between the frames in the past. The problem is that these frames are the ones that have the bulk of the brood, and whilst I could shake off the bees, I don't want to lose the brood, or indeed the stores, they contain. Any suggestions of how/when I should replace these frames would be gratefully received.
    Rod

  2. #2
    Senior Member Mellifera Crofter's Avatar
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    Slowly move them out towards the box wall and remove them when they are eventually free of brood - probably on your first inspection next spring. I don't think you can do it sooner. Sometimes one just has to put up with odd misshapen frames for a while. I have a few like that.
    Kitta

  3. #3
    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    You could trim back the comb at the top so that they fit closer together. The top part of a frame usually has stores rather than brood.

  4. #4
    Senior Member Adam's Avatar
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    No matter how fat the stores are on the frames, the brood will be the 'normal' thickness.. It's very easy to make the mistake of not pushing the frames together during an inspection and over time you can finish up with fat combs. A shallow frame is usually used for sacrificial drone brood, so if the bees have built worker brood underneath just to annoy, it might be worth moving it to the side as Kitta suggests so that in spring there's a good chance that it will have no brood and can be removed.

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