Beginners in beekeeping often get confused about “how many brood boxes to use in a hive”. That’s what I will try to discuss with you in detail throughout this article.
Proper hive setup is the first step for successful beekeeping. Because if the hive is not set up correctly, bees might not like it and swarm away.
For the perfect hive setup, you should select the right number of honey supers, brood boxes, and other related stuff for your hive.
So, you probably have the question as a beginner how many brood boxes to use in a hive?
Well, the number of brood boxes you can use in a hive depends on various factors but it shouldn’t be more than 2. In fact, most beekeepers are happy with a single brood box system. Most also prefer having two.
So, now you still have the question of which factors you should consider while selecting the right number of brood boxes for your hive. That’s what I am going to clarify for you throughout this post.
If you know the advantages of a double brood box system, then it will be more helpful for you to decide whether single or double brood box system you need.
Key Points:
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Having a single brood box system is useful for small hive and during winter.
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Having 2 brood boxes gives queen extra space to lay more eggs. More space means bees have more freedom. But also they need more maintenance and foods.
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Having more than 2 brood boxes will increase stress through the colony members. It is a very bad sign for the colony.
How To Determine The Number Of Brood Boxes To Use In A Hive
Determining the right number of brood boxes to use in a hive is the first condition to build a healthy colony. But the question is how do we know how many brood boxes we should use in our hive?
Choosing the right number of brood boxes to use in a beehive depends on the following factors.
Geographical Region
Geographical region is the key consideration for selecting the right number of brood boxes for a hive. If you are living in a region where most of the time of the year is warm and not very cold at any time. Then you can use 2 brood boxes for your hive.
But if you are living in a comparatively cold region. Where most of the time during the year is cold. Then you should stick with one brood box. Never try to think of using more than that.
Because during winter bees have a really tough time going around. They have a scarcity of food. Also, they have to work hard to control moisture inside the hive.
So, adding an extra brood box under these circumstances will be worse for them.
Current Season
The present season is also important choosing the number of brood boxes to use in your hive. If you are thinking of adding an extra brood box in your hive, it’s better to add it when they have maximum population growth.
So, you can use 2 brood boxes from spring to early autumn. But as I already told you bees have a tough time during winter. So, you should not use the second brood box during winter.
Hive Population
Using 2 brood boxes will be helpful for an overpopulated hive. Because when the hive becomes overpopulated bees might not have enough space to live.
So, they probably thinking of swarming away. adding the second brood box during this circumstance could be helpful for you to prevent swarming.
If both brood boxes become overpopulated then you must split your hive as soon as possible. Otherwise, your bees will swarm away.
If you are a commercial beekeeper, you might have a large no. of hives. If you have a double brood box system there might be overpopulation of bees. So, for an apiary having a large no. of hives, you can use a single brood box.
For an apiary having a comparatively small amount of hives 10 to 25, you can use a double brood box system. So, choose the suitable system depending on your no. of hives per apiary.
Honey Production
If you see excessive honey flow in your hive then using 2 brood boxes would be helpful. Also, if you find there are idle bees present inside your hive because of the lack of space for honey production. Then adding an extra brood box probably boosts the honey production.
But remember if you are thinking of adding an extra brood box to increase honey flow in a weak colony then it could be worse for your hive.
So, you should determine the strength of your hive first. Then under the right conditions, you can add the second brood box to increase honey production.
Here right conditions mean when your colony is strong and there are idle bees who are capable of producing honey.
Look For The Queen
While you are thinking of using 2 brood boxes you should understand the current condition of your queen. If your queen is not strong enough then adding the extra brood box might not be helpful.
Because she might not be able to lay more eggs in the new brood box. Instead, she might become stressed. For this situation, it’s preferred to stick with one brood box.
You can use 2 brood boxes only when the queen is strong and she requires more space to lay more eggs.
But still, if you want to use an extra brood box on your weak colony, there is an way.
How To Use 2 Brood Box For A Weak Colony
In order to use 2 brood boxes for a weak colony first you should look for a queen brood inside the hive. If you identified there is a queen brood present inside the hive. Then place the second brood box above or below the current one.
Then transfer the newly born queen with some workers and broods to the second brood box.
Don’t forget to put a screen to hide the new queen from the old one. Because the old queen doesn’t allow any other queen’s existence.
When the new queen is developed then split the hive and place the second brood box in a new hive to build a strong colony.
This is how I convert my weak colony into a strong colony by using 2 brood boxes.
Artificial Swarm
Artificial swarm is a modern swarm prevention technique that most beekeepers use. I also personally like this technique as I have a large apiary and don’t have enough time to split every hive.
When you have a large apiary it’s really difficult for you to split every hive under the right situation.
You might already know that if you are not splitting your hive at the right time then you are probably going to lose your bees.
That’s why when it is not possible to split every hive. Beekeepers like me like to use artificial swarms to prevent swarming.
The use of an extra empty brood box is a famous artificial swarm technique. To use the second brood box for artificial swarm you just have to place the empty brood box above or below the old one.
So, these are the actual major factors that you should keep in consideration while you are determining the number of brood boxes to use in your hive. You can go with one brood box or 2 brood boxes or even one and a half brood boxes as your hive situation demands.
So, How Many Brood Boxes to Use in A Hive?
Depending on various factors a beehive needs 1 or 2 brood boxes and not more than that. Most beekeepers are satisfied with one brood box. Some beekeepers, who want to give more space for the bees and for more honey production may put an extra brood box.
From the above discussion hopefully, you know under which condition which brood box system will be ideal. Here is a brief.
| Single Brood Box System | Double Brood Box System |
| When bees have limited storage of foods. | When bees need more space and there is enough food available. |
| If there are no lazy bees. | When you identify lazy bees inside the hive. |
| When there is limited honey production. | When there is excess honey production. |
| More safer than a double brood box system but requires more maintenance. | A little risky but requires less maintenance. |
Depending on the overall situation you can switch between single and double brood box systems whenever you want. So, learn the colony situation and understand when they need an extra brood box. Otherwise, stay with a single brood box system.
Do Bees Store Honey In The Brood Box?
Yes, bees store honey in the brood box. As we know brood development which is eggs, larvae, and pupae development is done within the cell inside the brood box. The nurse bee kept honey and royal jelly to feed the broods.
So, the nurse bees during brood development regularly pour the cells with pollen and nectar to feed their new generation.
How Many Bees Are In A Brood Box?
Well, each of the frames in your brood box if completely filled will have around 5,000-7,000 bees. So, if each frame contains 6,000 bees then a 10-frame full-sized brood box will contain around 60,000 bees. The range may vary depending on the frame size and the type of bees you have.
Why Add A Second Brood Box?
Well, adding the second brood box can be useful to give enough space while the population of the first brood box reaches its maximum. The second brood box will be helpful to prevent swarming and also to increase honey production.
As you know one brood box can have around 6,000 bees in maximum. So, when the brood box reaches its maximum they might not have enough space to live there happily.
So, they will try to swarm away as well as the honey production rate will be decreased. So, to increase the honey production and to prevent swarming adding the second brood box will be an excellent choice.
Can You Have 2 Brood Boxes On A Flow Hive?
Yes, you can. A flow hive has a flow of honey and using 2 brood boxes will be very much helpful to collect and store the excessive flow of honey.
If your hive has only one brood box and it’s not sufficient to manage the honey production. Then using an extra brood box will be very helpful and it will also boost the production of honey.
When Should I Add Another Brood Box To My Hive?
You should add another brood box to your hive under the following circumstances.
- When The Hive Become Overpopulated: An overpopulated hive might not have enough space to live. So, to give them enough room you should add another brood box to your hive.
- During Fall Season: During the fall season bees become very angry as they become maximum in number and there is a scarcity of food. Adding an extra brood box could be helpful for them to manage the large population. But as there is a scarcity of food. You must also feed them properly during the fall season.
- To Harvest More Honey: If your hive has idle adult worker bees. Then adding the second brood box can force them to work and your honey production will also increase.
When Should I Remove The Second Brood Box?
First of all, during the cold season, you should get back to one brood box. Keeping the second brood box during a cold could be deadly for the colony. As you already know during cold bees have a tough time controlling the proper temperature inside the hive.
Having the second brood box will force them to work more hard to control the hive temperature. That’s why it is always recommended to remove the second brood box before winter which means in the late autumn.
If you find one of your brood boxes has got attacked by varroa mite or any other disease then to protect the other brood box you must remove the infected one.
Also, after adding the second brood box if you see any negative behavior from your hive it’s better to go back to the one brood box system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hell no! Using 3 or more brood boxes will force your colony to do overwork. It will overstress the colony members. A brood box is a crucial box in a hive where the queen lays eggs and broods grow up. This is the box specially placed for the queen to reproduce and raise future generations of the colony. When there is enough food available, the colony becomes overcrowded. Also, during honey flow season adding an extra brood box is also helpful.Should I Use 3 Or More Brood Boxes?
What is a Brood Box in a Hive?
How do I know if my hive needs more brood boxes?
So, How Many Brood Boxes you are Thinking to Use in your Hive?
We reached the conclusion part of the post. Hopefully, now you have all the necessary knowledge on selecting how many brood boxes one should use in a hive to build a healthy colony.
After considering all the conditions currently how many brood boxes are you using? Let me know in the comment section.
If you are interested in building a bee swarm trap at an absolute minimum cost (Less than 5$) then you can check this article.