What is a Bee Brood Box?
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The most popular part of a beehive may be the bee brood box. Why are beekeepers so enthralled by the happenings in this section of the hive? The answer is simple. It contains the heart of the hive. This area holds the next generation of worker honey bees. Conditions inside the brood box tells the beekeeper a lot about the current status of the colony and the future.
Deep Brood Box or Chamber
If you spend any time at a local beekeeping association meeting, you are sure to hear one topic discussed. “What is happening in your brood box?” Yea, it is that important.
One thing that makes beekeeping terminology so confusing is that beekeepers use different terms to describe items. For instance, it is not uncommon to hear all the boxes on a Langstroth hive referred to as “supers”.
The only difference is the height of the boxes – the other dimensions are the same (16” wide by 19 7/8” long). Heights are:
- deep 9 5/8”
- medium 6 5/8”
- shallow 5 11/16”
When first starting new colonies, the common method is to start with a single deep box (Langstroth hive) also called the hive body.
As the colony grows, your bees expand and hopefully require additional space. But, inside that first box is the brood chamber where the future of the hive first begins.
Inspecting the Brood Chamber
Each hive inspection requires an evaluation of some frames from the brood nest area. It is not necessary to look at each frame – though sometimes you might need to.
A strong brood pattern signals the presence of a laying queen bee. During most months of the year, we should find all stages of bee development represented.
Eggs laid by the queen can be hard to see – at least until you gain some in-hive experience. But, pearly white bee larvae are easy to identify. Finding dead larvae in your hive can be a sign of disease.
Brood Frames
The industry standard Langstroth beehive holds 10 frames in each box. When frames are properly installed, they are self-spacing. Push them close together and divide any left-over space on both sides.
This prevents the buildup of burr comb in empty spaces. Bees will build odd comb in any unoccupied area. This make hive inspections more difficult and messy.
Difference Between a Brood Box and a Super
The only true difference between a brood box and a super is the contents. It is not the size of the box but what is located inside that defines it.
A brood box holds frames of honeycomb that contain developing bee brood. Yes, there will be some honey and pollen stored in the hexagonal comb too.
However, the primary purpose for this area of the hive is to function as a nest for rearing young. These frames of comb should be replaced every few years.
How Many Brood Boxes on a Hive?
The number of bee brood boxes on a hive varies by the choice of the beekeeper. While primarily used for rearing young, some food is stored here too-if space allows.
Beekeepers in colder climates tend to use 2 deep supers ( or 3 mediums) for the brood chamber. This gives the colony a chance to grow large. Lots of room for a large population and plenty of food storage.
Conversely, those in the deep southern regions of the United States may use only 1 deep super for a brood chamber. The Winters are shorter. The colony does not need as much stored food or as large a population to keep warm.
Your beehive configuration may not be the same as that of others – even in your region. It is not “wrong” to have 1, 2 or 3 brood boxes on a hive. If you have enough bees to support it.
How many brood boxes do you need? This depends on climate and how much room you want to give them. The key to success is to remember that you must have a bee population large enough to patrol all the honeycomb inside.
Excluders Inhibit Expansion
The use of a queen excluder to prevent egg laying in the top honey boxes is common. This makes harvesting honey easier for the beekeeper. There is no brood to worry about. To use one or not is your choice.
You will see pictures of queen excluders placed on top of a single deep box. I don’t like this method personally. My bees need more room for their nest and I do not want to restrict them that much.
I used one deep and one shallow (I could use a medium super if I wished). When using an excluder – I place it under my honey supers-not between the two boxes I give the bees.
Adding a Second Box
How do you know when to add a second brood box to your hive? This decision is not one that can be defined by the calendar.
The same factors apply as deciding when to add a honey super. Let the progress of your colony be your guide. When the bees are using most of the frames in the first brood box 80% (7/8 out of 10), it may be time for box number 2.
What do Bees do in a Brood Box?
This area of the colony is always busy but especially so during the warm season. Growing larvae are constantly tended by nurse bees. The voracious appetites keeps the worker bees in constant motion.
The queen is also on the comb in this region of the hive. She dutifully walks across the comb inspecting empty cells. If the cell is clean and ready, she may pause to lay an egg.
Around the edges of the brood comb region, it is common to see an arch of pollen or bee bread. It is placed here to be readily available to working nurse bees. They also store honey nearby for the same reason.
If the colony need to raise a new queen, this is the box where you will see the first stages of queen cell development. Checking the brood nest for queen cells during swarm season is a common practice.
Other Hive Styles
If you are using a different type of beehive, you may not have a separate bee brood box. Top bar hives and other horizontal hives consist of only one box. However, they still have a brood chamber or area of the hive.
Management techniques for these hives is different than that of a Langstroth hive. But, to the honey bee colony, it is all the same – an enclosed space to rear young.
It is the most important area of the hive for the beekeeper to inspect. What we find here, tells us a lot about the needs of our colonies.
FAQs
Yes, if you have a large enough bee population to patrol and protect the comb. Beekeepers that use all medium supers often use 3 boxes. If you used all shallow supers you might need even more.
If your colony is using 80% of the current box and the warm season is not ending, it may be time to add a box.
Yes, you can harvest honey from a brood box if you have not used chemicals for mite treatments. However, do not take all the honey from your bees – they will starve.
The biggest danger is that pests will attempt to move in the empty space. Installed wax foundation may also be ruined if the bees decide to tear it down. If you have drawn comb in the second box wax moths may destroy it.
There are pro and cons to using double brood boxes. They provide more space for the bees but are heavy to move. You also have double the frames to search through when trying to find the queen.