Frame Guide › Management
Pollen-Bound Brood Nest: what it looks like on the frame
A heavy pollen flow on, and a small colony that isn't growing.
Cell after cell packed solid with dense, dull pollen right through the middle of the brood area, squeezing the queen's laying space down to almost nothing. Pollen packs harder and duller than nectar, and unlike honey the bees don't cap it.
Give the queen empty comb in the middle of the nest
The colony needs somewhere to lay, so putting a drawn empty frame into the middle of the nest solves it directly. It usually corrects itself once brood rearing picks up and the bees eat through the pollen — a small colony in a big pollen flow just banks it faster than it can use it.
Easy to mistake for
- Honey-Bound Brood NestStrong flow on. Bees crowding, and the queen seems to have nowhere to go.
- ChalkbroodCool, wet spring. You spot chalky white bits on the landing board.
- Healthy Brood PatternJune · a strong colony, bees calm and covering the comb.
Could you spot this with the lid off?
Read the Frame deals you 8 random frames. Say what you see, say what you'd do, and find out why. It's free and runs on your phone.
Drill management → Mixed round (all 32 frames) →More management
- Honey-Bound Brood NestStrong flow on. Bees crowding, and the queen seems to have nowhere to go.
- Starved ColonyLate March · they were flying in December. Now, silence.
- Normal Drone CombMay · the bottom edge of a frame from a strong, healthy hive.
- New Colony Drawing CombTwo weeks after you installed a package on fresh foundation.
- Uncapped Honey SuperLate June · a super frame, heavy in your hand. You're thinking about pulling honey.
- Moldy CombSpring · frames from a hive that died in January, left in the damp box since.
- Fall Brood NestEarly October · a strong colony, the goldenrod flow just ended.
These frames are drawn to teach the pattern, and real frames vary. From The Alleman Apiary in Middletown, PA.