Checkerboarding
Overview
Checkerboarding is a process whereby the beekeeper moves frames around with the hive to achieve a desired result. The idea is that, sometimes the bees will primarily work the center frames, ignoring the outside ones. By moving the frames around, the beekeeper can achieve a more balanced approach.
There is some thought that checkerboarding can relive the colony's pressure to swarm as they may be left thinking that they have not finished building up the hive. I think the idea is like a military motto I've heard, "an idle mind is a dangerous thing." Maybe the bees are like teenage boys. I don't have enough experience to validate this though.
There are some who say it should not be done with the brood boxes; however I have seen cases where it can be useful. One example is when the colony is very aggressively collecting nectar and have filled too much of the brood frames, and there is not enough space left over for the queen to lay eggs for brood. In such cases, the frames full of honey can be moved into a honey super, and a different frame swapped for it.
More Information
Books and Papers
Web Sites
- How to checkerboard a hive, by Honey Bee Suite
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Disclaimer: eMail comments to me at BeekeepingBoK @ Gmail.com. The process of beekeeping can cause injury or be a health hazard unless proper precautions are taken, including the wearing of appropriate protective equipment. |