Hive equipment

In most humid agricultural regions of the country, eight to nine 10-frame 9 1/2-inch deep standard hive bodies are required to provide adequate brood rearing and storing space for two-queen colonies. (Many producers operate with nine frames in brood and honey bodies. ) In drier areas as in some of the Western States, eight standard hive bodies may be sufficient if the honey is removed and extracted weekly during the main honey flow. Hives eight stories high can be worked satisfactorily, but few beekeepers care to operate taller hives even to obtain an increase in yield.

One-inch auger-hole entrances should be drilled in the front center of each brood chamber just below the hand holds.

Shallow hive bodies 65/8 inches deep for brood chambers and supers are advantageous for either single- or two-queen colonies with intensive management. When such shallow equipment is used for two-queen management, 10 or 11 hive bodies are needed.

Colonies that may store more than 500 pounds of honey should be provided adequate storage capacity within a reasonable height. Such yields are not uncommon for two-queen colonies (12). A hive body 20 inches square and 6 5/8 inches deep that holds 12 frames 6 1/4 inches deep was developed by C. L. Farrar (3). It serves much better than standard 10-frame equipment for the two-queen operation. The 3/8-inch top bars of standard 5 3/8-inch shallow frames are too light to maintain good brood combs. The most efficient management is possible when all hive bodies are uniform in size and interchangeable. The 634-inch frames have 13/16-inch deep top bars, giving necessary strength to prevent sagging.

Shallow super combs are filled and sealed more rapidly than standard combs, thus permitting more prompt removal of supers for extracting. They can then be returned for refilling, reducing the amount of equipment needed to handle the crop. Shallow square 12-frame hive bodies reduce the height of the hive and the gross weight of full supers.

Shallow 6 5/8-inch deep equipment has advantages not only for honey production but also for overwintering large colonies. The space between top and bottom bars favors the movement of bees within the winter cluster. Standard 10-frame shallow 6 5/8-inch deep supers can be used, provided there are a sufficient number of supers to give adequate hive capacity.

Shallow equipment is more expensive than deep equipment because more frames and hive bodies are needed for equivalent hive capacity. This disadvantage may be offset by gains from labor saved in management and higher yields from better colony control.

Various systems of two-queen management are described by Farrar (3) (one of the better known), Dunham (1), Holzberlein (5), Miller (6), Peer (10), and Walton (12). Most of the methods tend to emphasize separating brood nests, presumably to prevent queens from "fighting" across the queen excluder. This is no longer considered critical. Some earlier methods are rather complex and unnecessarily involved. The two-queen system described here is simple and still uses the normal behavior patterns of bees (9).

Colony organization and important stages of seasonal management for two-queen colonies in standard equipment are shown in figure 1 and for the square type of shallow hive in figure 2.

Strong overwintered colonies are built up to maximum strength in the early spring by feeding pollen supplement (11). In the North, the feeding starts about the first of March. The supplement is fed as fast as the colonies will take it (1 to 2 pounds per week) to insure uninterrupted brood rearing until pollen is available in the field.

chambers. If the entrances have not been lowered 2 to 4 weeks before the colonies are divided, the bees can be reorganized by interchanging the position of chambers 1-2-3-4 to position 4-3-2-1 as shown in A of figures 1 and 2 and closing all auger-hole entrances. This "reversal" of brood chambers stimulates more rapid brood expansion and allows the bees time to orient to the lower entrance position. Pollen supplement cakes can be fed even after reversal of the brood chambers by placing the cakes face up on the bottom board adjacent to the active brood.

During this early buildup period, the upper auger-hole flight entrances may be closed so that the bees become accustomed to using the bottom-based entrance. Thus when the second brood nest is established on top, excessive drifting away from the lower brood nest is prevented.

Overwintered colonies will have their brood nest in the upper brood.

Queens for the top divisions should arrive about 2 months before the beginning of the major honey flow. The colonies, then, are temporarily divided into two units as shown in B of figures 1 and 2. The bottom brood chamber should contain the overwintered queen, most of the younger brood, and about half of the hive population. The division containing most of the sealed and emerging brood and the rest of the hive population remains above.

Figure 1. -Diagram of two-queen colony management with 10-frame standard equipment, showing the organization after manipulation.

A-Brood Nest Put Down April 1-15;

All Auger Holes Closed

B-Colony Divided April 20-May 5;

Queen Introduced In Top

C-Two-Queen Organization -Fore Part Of Honey Flow

D-Single-Queen Organization-Last 4 Weeks Of Honey Flow

E-Organization Of Winter Food Reserves In Fall; Auger Holes In Positions 1, 2 And 4 Closed

A-Brood Nest Put Down April 1-15;

Figure 2. -Diagram of two-queen colony management with 12-frame shallow equipment, showing the organization after manipulation.

All Auger Holes Closed

B-Colony Divided April 20-May 5;

Queen Introduced In Top

C-Two-Queen Organization -Fore Part Of Honey Flow

D-Single-Queen Organization -Last 4 Weeks Of Honey Flow

E-Organization Of Winter Food Reserves In Fall; Auger Holes Iin Positions 1, 2, 3 And 5 Closed

The two units are completely separated by an inner cover with the escape hole screened or closed. The upper unit is provided with an auger-hole entrance for flight.