Single Brood Chambers - Fall and Winter

Paul Kelly, research and apiary manager at the HBRC, explains techniques and management methods to get single brood chambers through the fall and winter.
Single Brood Chambers Part 1 discusses management of single brood chambers in the spring and summer.
Filmed and edited by Zoey Ross.
A descriptive transcript is available here: hbrc.ca/beekee...
Frequently asked questions: hbrc.ca/faq/
For more videos, check out the University of Guelph's HBRC KZbin channel at this link: @University of Guelph Honey Bee Research Centre

[@Scott-np7sl]

I just successfully overwintered my 8-frame single brood chamber colony of Italians in northern Colorado. The hive is huge coming into April. I did a fall Apivar treatment, followed your feed guidelines and insulated the box. We had night time lows of -29C in January and it didn't seem to bother the bees at all. My local bee club said I "HAD" to have 2 brood boxes for my bees to survive winter in Colorado...

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Sounds great Scott. Thanks for letting us know how that worked out. Maybe there will be less doubters next year!

[@mikerevendale4810]

After nearly 40 years of beekeeping I began experimenting with overwintering singles and I've experienced great success. However, I insulate the 10 frame box using foamboard; I also eliminated the upper ventilation entirely leaving a small entrance at the bottom board. It's apparent that the lifespan of worker bees has been shortened making successful overwintering more difficult; reducing space and the stress from cold has made all the difference.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Great to hear singles are working out for you. We all have to adapt our management to our local conditions. I've had brown icicles hanging out the bottom entrance when I've tried eliminating the upper entrance. That was with insulation all around. Our humidity is high here all year long.

[@OklahomaBeekeeper]

Thank you very much, for this video! So glad to see you doing videos again. I do appreciate your work. I heard that you were going to be a speaker at the Hive Live Conference and hope to see you there.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Malcolm Good to hear you find our videos helpful. I'll look forward to meeting you in January!

[@alamenahlesetif]

ممتاز

[@basilisziogas2431]

Hello Mr Kelly... Congratulations for your great and sophisticated job!!! Have ever used the Dadant hive???

[@martynspooner5822]

Thanks for posting, it is so interesting.

[@davidmcleod6032]

Would love to hear an opinion on the older 11 5/8" jumbo or the 12 frame dadant box vs single deep.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi David Equipment here is very standard. It is also sized for human use! I can't imagine working with anything bigger than our deep brood chambers. We adapt our methods to make it work for bees too.

[@MinnesotaBeekeeper]

You can almost double the efficiency of your XPS pink insulation board by spray glueing mylar survival blankets on their (bottom) hive side. We just did a how to video on that simple process.

[@sgmetzler]

This is my second season of trying single brood chamber management and I am puzzled by a new problem. One hive has been extremely strong from the start, and put up three medium supers of honey . I did a post-flow harvest on all the hives but left each with one super of partial or uncapped nectar/honey, taking only frames with at least 75% capped cells. The super strong hive has a huge population of bees, with 20 frames covered with bees after the harvest. How do I take off the remaining super? I have been beekeeping for 9 years now and never had this strong of a population to try to over-winter! I have tried several times with relatively large population, with mixed results - I have never had to address 'too many bees' It seems a bit late to try a split. Any advice?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

In our climate, and with the kind of bees we use, even strong hives can fit in the boxes as fall progresses. The winter bees die off and the bees cluster so they need less space.

[@sunpowerrules]

The hive cover you use in Ontario will work on the Prairies? We experience much colder temps in East Central Alberta so just wondering if this is a concern?

[@lenturtle7954]

Those black wraps look like hot during the day and cold at night . The styrofoam will insulate the top but the cardboard will have next to no insulation .

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

They work very well and are the most common method of wrapping hives here in Ontario. In colder environments more insulation is required. You are right, they don't provide much insulation but they do gain solar heat and give great wind and weather protection.

[@miguelmartinez1607]

Would you recommend replacing ventilated bottom board with a solid one?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Miguel We leave our screen bottom boards on all year but there is a normal bottom board below. Please see the video 'Our Equipment' for more information.

[@texasfriendlybeekeepers8210]

hey paul....what does the frames configuration is in the winter single brood chamber look like??...is there like 5 frames of honey and couple frames of brood and drawn comb frames??

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi there Most frames are full of sugar syrup/honey now. In our area the queens stop laying in late September.

[@Superammo76239]

First year overwintering 2 hives in single brood chamber. I began feeding with a top feeder yet the bees will not take it in, I am beginning to worry as we are approaching winter. My hives don’t feel as heavy as you describe. Any advice?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

I wonder if the weather was too cold for feeding? Where are you located?

[@Superammo76239]

Southwest Idaho

[@randyblankenship2115]

Do you have a problem with moisture?in ky I use quilt boxes to help control moisture.just wondering!!

[@theinvestorsperspective6142]

I volunteer at the HBRC, the idea is that the upper entrance hole will vent out the evaporated moisture before it settles inside the hive. Many beekeepers in Ontario opt to put a deep rim inner cover under the insulation and fill it with wood shavings, pine cones, or newspapers to wick away excess moisture.

[@sunpowerrules]

Thank you!

[@javierduran6219]

Thank you

[@DarrellHamner]

how come I can't find part 1?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

It is called 'Singles vs Doubles"

[@robertreynolds2524]

Can I buy some boxes?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

We don't sell hive equipment. Many others do.

[@Bobcagon]

The biggest disadvantage for hobbyists switching to single brood from double is the sugar. Presently with inflation here in BC, 10 KGs is $17.00. Do the math on 4 gallons of syrup per hive at 2:1. It is not cheap.

[@stevenpenner9604]

Thats roughly $19 per hive to feed 12 liters of 2:1 in fall, leaving that super on full of honey which would be roughly 30lbs at let's say $4 per lb you have lost $120 to save $19 Theres the math 😁 Myself I would rather take $120 and pay $20 to feed them

[@BigRedNZ1]

@@stevenpenner9604 the key though is a hobby beek doesn’t sell the honey. Here in NZ you “can’t” sell unless you have a food safe cert.

[@cyberfuker85]

@@BigRedNZ1 you cant sell drugs either, but i bet you can buy weed too >D

[@bryanvyse3333]

That insulation is not toxic?

[@beehinde]

No not toxic, the inner cover in the video is canvas, the bees cannot access the insulation. In the UK we use 50mm kingspan above a wooden crownboard. There are occasions when the bees burrow through the insulation without any adverse affect.

[@bryanvyse3333]

@@beehinde good to know, i was told polystyrene off gases toxins over time and should not be used inside the cover. Only the white is no toxic.

[@beehinde]

@@bryanvyse3333 Europe has been using poly hives for over 40 years and some of them are not white.

[@caven930]

I wonder why I never hear American bee keepers promoting single brood chamber management

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

We didn't promote singles 25 years ago either! It was new to us then. It is newish to US beekeepers now.

[@sergepajcin1255]

cost of hive with all of this 1000 usd bees medication sugar overwintering etc

[@tonytango6676]

A few beekeepers are advocating putting that Styrofoam on the bottom and the four sides as well. After all why not insulate the hives like you would your house? Some of those even leave that Styrofoam on year round. Have you folks done any research with this concept? If I recall correctly the one KZbin channel was Vino farms. He was also advocating making a very tall frame the same height as both a long and a medium so the bees could create a round cluster. Another one is Etienne from Yukon.

[@kaistumer198]

Because the bees only heat the cluster. To much insulation actually helps to raise limp bees. Give them real cold, insulation is only good when the colony starts to build up and breaks cluster

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Tony The methods we use work well in our location. In colder climates more insulation is definitely desirable. In colder Canadian regions beekeepers winter hives indoors or use wraps that insulate top and sides.

[@hermnnisernhinke8289]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre In Europe we use 2 insulationboards per hive in spring to keep only the brood nest warm. Let's say, 4 frames of brood, 2 insulationboards, the other food frames outside of them. That produces a compact nest and helps the bees to keep it warm easily!