Fonta Molyneaux has given me some tips on how to arrange my frames inside this Long Lang Horizontal hive. I was thinking to work from the center out, but she tells me otherwise.
This is what she says.
"When facing the hive I prefer to use the far left entrance then close off the others. Then, from the back of the hive, I’d install it going right to left. Drawn, pollen, brood, drawn x 2, pollen, honey. As the brood nest grows, checker in drawn comb to the area where the x2 drawn frames are. Then add drawn/naked frames to the right of the honey. You essentially stretch the brood nest every 10 days until after solstice then they will bee more busy with honey. And you’ll be adding in that area. If they start having too much cap brood add a naked frame or two into the same area."
"When facing the hive I prefer to use the far left entrance then close off the others. Then, from the back of the hive, I’d install it going right to left. Drawn, pollen, brood, drawn x 2, pollen, honey.
As the brood nest grows, checker in drawn comb to the area where the x2 drawn frames are. Then add drawn/naked frames to the right of the honey.
You essentially stretch the brood nest every 10 days until after solstice then they will bee more busy with honey. And you’ll be adding in that area. If they start having too much cap brood add a naked frame or two into the same area."
This will be a totally new experience for sure.
Twelve frames of brood. That is impressive!! Hope all goes well and you will do a split in April.
Well, I did it. It was cool 52 degrees and not much foraging going on. With rain in the forecast, I decided to do it now (about 3:00 PM).
The hive was 2 deep 8 frame boxes. Both boxes were beyond full. I took the middle 6 frames (full of brood) from the top box and placed them in the middle of the Long Lang hive, I then put the middle 6 (about 80% full of brood) from the bottom box and placed 3 on each side of the other 6.
I then placed the last 4 on either side, 2 on each side. I added 1 more empty drawn frame on either side as well. I placed blocker boards on the ends of all that and closed things up. After things calm down, I will inspect to see how things end up in a day or two.
There are about 500 or more foragers buzzing around with bad attitudes right now. I placed all the pieces from that hive un-assembled, including the stand in front of the new Lang Long hive on the ground. The remaining bees should sense the queen just 18 inches above and go in to their new abode by nightfall.
That's my theory anyway.
Wish me luck.
The new Lang Long Hive by the way holds upwards of 32 frames.
Gorgeous! I'm curious how many colonies you will have in there? I thought you have three colonies.
You could move them a couple of miles away for a couple of weeks and then move them back into their new home.
Otherwise, I would think moving them in the evening after the foragers are all home, using a lot of smoke, might result in the fewest bees lost in the move. They don't like intruders in the evenings, however. All the foragers turn into guard bees.
Best would be if we were going to have real rain the next day. So Friday evening might work because we might be having a steady rain on Saturday.
I'm wondering how many bees would be left in the old hive boxes. Might you vacuum the stragglers and then pour them in?
It will be a learning experience for all of us. I'm curious about the move of the apiary hives, too. Good luck!
With help from my friends Chris, Patsy, and Rick, I’m ready to move bees from a traditional Langstroth into this beautiful Long Lang or Horizontal hive.
Now, I am challenging myself on when is the best time of day to do it.
In that they bees are going to be upset by the process, does it matter?