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Laurence Edwards sets up spring bee colonies in a four-box configuration: brood box, feeding box with fondant, and spare boxes on top. The setup takes two minutes per colony, reduces swarming, and lets him split hives easily later.
Laurence Edwards sets up spring bee colonies in a four-box configuration: brood box, feeding box with fondant, and spare boxes on top. The setup takes two minutes per colony, reduces swarming, and lets him split hives easily later.
My colonies are now double brooded for spring. Bottom box empty with frames of foundation. Second box, that's where all the bees are, and that is where the brood is as well. Then a crown board above it. Third box is where I'm feeding them fondant. And that fourth box on top, that is a spare box full of frames and foundation where the bees cannot access, and when I need it, it's there ready for me. Really nice configuration, took me about 2 minutes per colony to do. Means that they're set up perfectly for spring. Nice strong expansion, no risk of swarming, and if I want to split them later, I can do that as well. The bees are loving it in this apiary. Strong flow going on, nectar and pollen coming in. The season is underway.
