# Adding a second brood box



## ericweller (Jan 10, 2013)

I assume you are talking about removing the inner cover. Yes, remove the inner cover, take 2 frames from the existing box and move them into the new box. Keep the moved frames together in the top box. In the bottom box, push all of the frames together and put the new frames on the outside. Put the new box on top and cover with the inner cover with the hole covered.
Moving drawn frames into the new box will make the bees occupy the new box quicker.


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## itsmejjla (Apr 28, 2021)

Thanks !!!! for the info on moving two frames to the new box (I was just going to put the new box full of blank frames on top) Do I then add two new blank frames to replace those moved to box #2?
To be clear...The part I'm not getting any info online/youtube etc is : A: Do I put the inner cover BACK ON the first box (with hole open) and then put Box #2 on top of that? Then- B: get another inner cover for box #2.. and then the roof on that. (so eah box has an inner cover) THEN when box #2 is 80% full- take that cover off....Add the queen excluder, and the honey super. ? 

Lastly, and thanks for your patience- I currently have a frame feeder in box #1. Do I get an additional feeder for box #2 as well?

Much appreciated rookie here.

-JJ


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## itsmejjla (Apr 28, 2021)

itsmejjla said:


> Thanks !!!! for the info on moving two frames to the new box (I was just going to put the new box full of blank frames on top) Do I then add two new blank frames to replace those moved to box #2?
> To be clear...The part I'm not getting any info online/youtube etc is : A: Do I put the inner cover BACK ON the first box (with hole open) and then put Box #2 on top of that? Then- B: get another inner cover for box #2.. and then the roof on that. (so eah box has an inner cover) THEN when box #2 is 80% full- take that cover off....Add the queen excluder, and the honey super. ?
> 
> Lastly, and thanks for your patience- I currently have a frame feeder in box #1. Do I get an additional feeder for box #2 as well?
> ...


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## Jim Braun (Nov 8, 2019)

If you are using an in box frame feeder I like to have it in my upper box. It's easier to feed that way. One feeder is best.

Take your inner cover and telescoping outer cover off, put your new box on top of the telescoping cover remove 4 frames, move the feeder into box #2 on either end. Remove 2 frames of brood and place them in #4 and #5 spot in box 2. You now have 8 frames and your feeder in box #2. Scoot all of the brood frames together in box #1. Add your 4 frames on either side of the brood nest. Place box #2 directly on top of box#1. Add your inner cover on top of box #2. Add your telescoping cover on the top of your expanded hive. 

I would wait for maybe a month or more when most of the brood frames are filled out before adding medium frames for honey collection. Or you may find that you may not get extra frames filled out for your honey. The first year I do not use a queen excluder. If they have brood in the medium honey supers they will hatch out and get filled with honey at the end of the year. After the first year for any colony I then use the excluder. My friend who has kept bees for 25 years uses no excluders. If there's brood in the supers he won't extract those frames. He tries to leave them on the stack after removing supers for honey extraction.

Welcome to your new time consuming and expensive hobby. If you add your location to your info it will help others when they give you responses.


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## Gray Goose (Sep 4, 2018)

the inner cover goes just under the outer cover/lid. no matter how many boxes you have.

GG


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## itsmejjla (Apr 28, 2021)

Gray Goose said:


> the inner cover goes just under the outer cover/lid. no matter how many boxes you have.
> 
> GG


OK but what I'm asking is does EACH box get a cover i.e: multiple covers


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## itsmejjla (Apr 28, 2021)

Jim Braun said:


> If you are using an in box frame feeder I like to have it in my upper box. It's easier to feed that way. One feeder is best.
> 
> Take your inner cover and telescoping outer cover off, put your new box on top of the telescoping cover remove 4 frames, move the feeder into box #2 on either end. Remove 2 frames of brood and place them in #4 and #5 spot in box 2. You now have 8 frames and your feeder in box #2. Scoot all of the brood frames together in box #1. Add your 4 frames on either side of the brood nest. Place box #2 directly on top of box#1. Add your inner cover on top of box #2. Add your telescoping cover on the top of your expanded hive.
> 
> ...


That couldn't be more confusing. What is a telescoping cover? I thought I was pretty simple in my explanation of my question. I need to know if each box gets it's own cover, or if you place the second box directly on top of the first with nothing in between.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

Frame feeders cannot be used easily if not in the upper box. You move it to the top box of course. You do not want a division between brood boxes so only one inner cover on top is neccessary to keep the bees from gluing the real 'COVER' to the top box frames and making it difficult to remove. Yuo do not have your location listed so I do not know your local climate. Adding that second box can be hard on your colony unless the first box is pretty well full of bees and also a bad idea if temperature is forcast to drop after you put it on. Keep that feeder in use until both your brood boxes are fully occupied and drawn is my best advice.


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## itsmejjla (Apr 28, 2021)

I don't know how to add my location. I am in Los Angeles. I was going to wait until box #1 was 80% full then add the second. So they go RIGHT ON TOP of each other with nothing in between you're saying? They don't put comb sticking upper and lower frames together ?


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## Emmett (Mar 24, 2021)

One inner cover, one outer cover. Both go on top of the hive. No matter how many deeps, or supers you have. Nothing goes in-between boxes. Yes, they do put some comb and propolis sticking upper and lower frames together, but it is not too bad and easy to deal with. When adding your second box. Take off both covers, inner and outer, set them on the ground, place new empty box on ground, take out two frames from new empty box, set them down, take two frames of brood brood from old, full box, place them in the middle of the new box where you took the two new frames, push all frames together now (there will be space on the outer edges of the box but this is fine), now, push together the frames in the old box (filling the space where you took the two frames from the middle), and place the new empty frames in the outer edges. Essentially, you are simply swaping two frames from the new empty box with two from the old box with bees. Now, put the new box directly on top of the old one, place inner cover and top cover back on.


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## ericweller (Jan 10, 2013)

itsmejjla said:


> I don't know how to add my location. I am in Los Angeles. I was going to wait until box #1 was 80% full then add the second. So they go RIGHT ON TOP of each other with nothing in between you're saying? They don't put comb sticking upper and lower frames together ?


Yes, put the new box right on top of the other box. Nothing in between. Occasionally, if there is enough room, the bees will build drone comb between the boxes. You can scrape it off or not.


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## itsmejjla (Apr 28, 2021)

Emmett said:


> One inner cover, one outer cover. Both go on top of the hive. No matter how many deeps, or supers you have. Nothing goes in-between boxes. Yes, they do put some comb and propolis sticking upper and lower frames together, but it is not too bad and easy to deal with. When adding your second box. Take off both covers, inner and outer, set them on the ground, place new empty box on ground, take out two frames from new empty box, set them down, take two frames of brood brood from old, full box, place them in the middle of the new box where you took the two new frames, push all frames together now (there will be space on the outer edges of the box but this is fine), now, push together the frames in the old box (filling the space where you took the two frames from the middle), and place the new empty frames in the outer edges. Essentially, you are simply swaping two frames from the new empty box with two from the old box with bees. Now, put the new box directly on top of the old one, place inner cover and top cover back on.


Now that was easy to understand. THANKS!


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## Emmett (Mar 24, 2021)

Heres a tip, when setting down a box with frames, especially if there are bees in it, set the box down on your top cover. If you set the box down on the grass it might collect dirt and things on the ground due to the bees making the inside of the hive all sticky, squish bees, push up the frames, and it could kill your queen if she's in that box. So, you can just put your top cover flat on the ground, and put your box on top of that giving it a nice flat surface. Good luck!


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

itsmejjla said:


> I don't know how to add my location. I am in Los Angeles. I was going to wait until box #1 was 80% full then add the second. So they go RIGHT ON TOP of each other with nothing in between you're saying? They don't put comb sticking upper and lower frames together ?


Nothing in between. The bees build bridge comb which has to be pried apart when splitting boxes. You don't need to split them very often.


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