In the spring,the brood box should be checked every 10 days.
- Ensuring that the bees are not overcrowded will reduce the likelihood that they will swarm.
- If your brood box is full the hive will produce new queens – which will result in a swarm.
You can see the larger queen cells when you check your hive – this is a clear indication that your hive is getting ready to swarm. (this page has a picture of a queen bee cell)
- If the brood box is getting full another brood super should be added on top of your existing brood super, full brood frames may also be replaced by empty ones
- If you have more then one hive you can put full brood frames from a robust hive into a weak hive.
It's True! If you only have one hive it is hard to tell if it is a weak hive or a strong hive. That is why many urban bee keepers have at least two hives. By pulling brood frames and filling them with empty frames you may take a medium hive and turn it into a weak hive.
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