NZBF Two brood boxes rapidly filling but going away for four weeks, what's the next step?

[8 Stings 1]

Complete novice here... I've started my first hive about two weeks ago starting with a five frame Nuk. The first box rapidly filled in about eight days so added a second box which is rapidly filling too. On my first inspection of the first box I found a mite and because I am about to go away on holiday for four weeks I opted to insert some Bayvarol strips in both boxes. My concern now is that the two boxes will be completely full in a short time and I'll be away. What should I do? Do I put a honey super with queen restricter on to accommodate the overflow? If so will the content of the super be unusable because of the Bayvarol strips below?

[Mummzie 736]

welcome to beekeeping @8 Stings. Well done spotting the mites and treating for them.

The honey collected will be able to be used by your bees over winter. Its not usual to get a harvest from a nuc at this stage- the hive will need all they can store. Also, I assume your bees are drawing out foundation, so that will reduce the crop. As the hive population grows, they will consume more. By all means add another box (excluder your choice).

 

And be sure there will be others with different opinions...That's beekeeping.

[8 Stings 1]

thank you for your response, my main concern is that leaving them for four weeks that the two brood boxes would be over full and the bees might leave? Is that a possible scenario? Is adding a super a good insurance policy?

[Mummzie 736]

Even if the queen laid out all the new 5 frames in the first  box 2 weeks ago, those bees will still be capped larvae. When they hatch, the queen will have their cells to lay in- along with the original nuc frames. Rule of thumb for space is for every frame of capped brood, you need 2 frames of space for them- so the second box supplies that.  Assuming the queen is laying in the second box- they wont be hatching until just before you get back. A third box should be plenty of space. Your bees will be busy looking after brood.

I hope you placed enough Bayvarol to cover 2 brood boxes ?

[tristan 4,362]

26 minutes ago, 8 Stings said:

thank you for your response, my main concern is that leaving them for four weeks that the two brood boxes would be over full and the bees might leave? Is that a possible scenario? Is adding a super a good insurance policy?

simple way here is to remove the bayvarol and put excluder and box on.

its a pretty bad beek to sell a nuc crawling with mites. the bayvarol will have nuked all the ones running around by now.

lack of bayvarol will not cause the hive any real issue.

[8 Stings 1]

Bayvarol only been in two days, I put 4 strips in each box.

[8 Stings 1]

the nuc wasn't full of mites, I only found one and thought since I was leaving it unattended for four weeks I'd treat it just in case

[Mummzie 736]

If you found one- there's likely more in the brood. Your dosage is correct. At this time of the year, the bees should out-breed the mites, but  in Autumn its is a different matter as the mite population catches up. 

[tristan 4,362]

2 minutes ago, Mummzie said:

If you found one- there's likely more in the brood.

thats a given, but it doesn't mean it needs treating. just like lack of mites doesn't mean it doesn't need treating.

 

29 minutes ago, 8 Stings said:

Bayvarol only been in two days, I put 4 strips in each box.

in two days bayvarol kills just about every mite thats running around. it just can't kill the ones in the brood.

i highly doubt that its going to get to many mites in 4 weeks.

[8 Stings 1]

.....hmmmm so have I been over zealous, shall I take the strips out for now?

[Grant 4,298]

Please try and remember this is an NZBF topic, as such the member needs simple steps and guidance, rather than a discussion on the pro's and con's at this point in time. Otherwise it may just add to any confusion.

 

[yesbut 6,230]

If it were my hive I'd leave the strips in, and let the bees keep all the honey they gather. (It's generally not a good idea to have treatment in place while honey is being gathered if the honey is to be harvested, although Bayvarol is less likely to end up in the honey than other treatments)

[tristan 4,362]

6 hours ago, 8 Stings said:

.....hmmmm so have I been over zealous, shall I take the strips out for now?

its hard to advise because we can't see what the hive is like. pictures help if you have time.

 

for me i'm not concerned if strips stay in or not. i highly doubt the hive is going to have mite problems in 4 weeks time.

its more important they have room. having a spare super on is a good thing.

let the hive run and get some strength up.

[8 Stings 1]

Thank you everyone appreciate it. I'll add a super and let nature take it's course........ and do some more reading plenty to learn....Cheers

[Gerry 51]

Your situation sounds similar to something my wife and I ran into during our first year with bees.  Keep in mind, we are northern hemisphere, so months will sound incorrect for you in the upside down part of the world.

 

We hived our first bees on April 19 a decade ago.  Two 4lb packages became 3 colonies, one at the house and 2 more in an orchard just down the road from us.  They grew well, and by early June had filled the first box, and we had a second box on, which they were kind of ignoring.  It was a deep box with 10 brand new frames in it.  Late June on a Sunday  morning walking into the orchard where our bees sat we found a swarm hanging in one of the Holly trees.  While I was shaking it into a box, we saw a swarm come out of the other one there.

 

By mid July we were very discouraged with the bees, had the swarms in boxes, seconds on everywhere, but all of them were essentially ignoring the second box.  At that point we kind of gave up on them as we were pre-occupied with other things at the time.  We had a wedding to attend (ours) and then we were headed off on that obligatory trip after a wedding (honeymoon it is referred to around here).  When we got back it was mid September before we got around to taking a good look at the bees.  Imagine our surprise, walk into the Holly orchard and lift the lid on a box, expecting the worst.  What we found was, double deep full of bees, comb on every frame, and the top box rather heavy.

[Trevor Gillbanks 6,846]

2 hours ago, Gerry said:

Imagine our surprise, walk into the Holly orchard and lift the lid on a box, expecting the worst.  What we found was, double deep full of bees, comb on every frame, and the top box rather heavy.

The bees always do it their way.

[tommy dave 1,184]

Are they 3/4 or full depth boxes?

 

Regardless, I'd do the following:

1 - Leave the strips in 

2 - Add another box of the same size, no queen excluder

3 - Move a couple of in use frames to this new box

 

 

 

[8 Stings 1]

Cheers Tommy Dave in the end that's exactly what I did do so thanks for your feedback. There were a few dead mites on the catch tray under the base so leaving the strips in and adding a box seemed the right thing to do. Looking forward to seeing the result in three weeks when I return.