Subject: Re: Reversing..

From: [email-masked] (David Scribner)
Date: 28 Mar 1995 04:54:33 GMT

Larry,

  I'm sure the bees will make whatever adjustments they need to make it 
right  by them, however from my limited experience and the texts I've 
read, I probably would have done it as so...

    Empty Shallow (If the one below is full enough.  If not, wait.)
    Shallow with Honey
    Empty Deep
    Deep with Brood

  That would have allowed the queen to move up into the empty deep (as 
you found out, movement upward by the queen seems to be natural) so she 
could continue to lay in it.  Since bees also naturally and usually store 
thier honey stores above the brood, keep the shallows above.  Also, the 
frames in the deep seem to provide a more naturally accomodating size 
area for the queen to lay as most beekeepers (as such, I take it to mean 
the bees do to) prefer deeps or mediums for brood and shallows or mediums 
for honey.

  When you check into the hive later in the season and find the top deep 
brood chamber full with eggs/capped brood/emerging brood the queen should 
have moved down into the bottom deep (a queen excluder helps to 
facilitate this).  If she hasn't, switching the deeps again putting the 
empty deep back on top of the other brood chamber will allow her to once 
again move upward and lay in the deep with the most free space.

  Hope this helps...

    --Dave

---

From: [email-masked] (Adam Finkelstein)
Date: 28 Mar 1995 11:30:03 GMT

When you reverse, your goal is to give the queen and expanding brood nest
room. However if you can help it, you do not want to split the nest.
Splitting the nest retards colony build up. I try to keep honey over the
brood nest, reversing boxes and leaving honey above.
But, yeah, the queen often moves into the honey, turning the honey box into
brood. So, in this case, I put the most brood on the bottom, then the least
brood, then the empty.

Adam
-- 
______________________________________
Adam Finkelstein 
[email-masked]