I’ve re-read everything and I can’t figure out which statement you disagree with. In the checkerboarding post, I clearly state that brood is not touched in checkerboarding and I go on to say the pyramiding is sometimes confused with checkerboarding:

Before I explain how to do it, I want to repeat that checkerboarding is done above the brood nest. You do not disturb the brood nest in the process. Checkerboarding is often confused with opening the brood nest, pyramiding, or unlimited brood nest management—all of which are different, and all of which I will describe later.

Then, in the pyramiding post, I never mention checkerboarding at all.

Nancy’s question was whether pyramiding is similar to opening or spreading the brood nest, and it is. It is even similar to checkerboarding except in checkerboarding you don’t mess with brood. In checkerboarding you open the honey barrier above the brood, in pyramiding you expand or open the brood nest. So, yes, I maintain they are very similar.

In checker boarding the brood nest isn’t touched. So I must disagree with the statement. The only thing in common both techniques can be used for swarm prevention.

Soak it. See Mischievous proliferous: the scoop on bee poop.

It’s only going to get worse and your hive will become impossible to inspect. If you have an extra box, put those frames in the extra box above an inner cover. Put new frames down below. After a few days, if no brood is in those frames, the bees should abandon them in favor of the new frames.

If you have no extra equipment, I think you should cut off the combs and start again. Make sure the queen isn’t around when you cut.

A week after introducing the mated queen.

According to Mann Lake Ltd, a full deep weighs 80-90 pounds and a full medium weighs 60-70 pounds. I can’t lift either of those, so I see no point in going to medium boxes and adding the extra space. Since I do all beekeeping alone, I always use an empty to box to put half the frames in before I move the rest of the box.

I haven’t read anything about the extra space, but I’ve always wondered about it. Nearly all the natural combs I’ve seen hanging from trees or attics or basements are deeper than a medium, so I suspect that what bees like.

I believe honey is always the best choice. It has the micro-nutrients the bees require, it is the right pH, and as long as they have a water source, they will make it the right consistency for themselves. I like your idea for feeding straight out of the jar. Brilliant.

I also threw in some pieces of comb honey I didn’t get around to eating (comb honey that may have begun to get moldy, but just barely) — and the bees have been devouring all of it. Nothing left but empty comb.

Would the bees get more from sugar syrup in the spring, or is honey, whether solid or liquid, always the best choice?

Do you have any data on the efficacy of different size brood boxes on colony health? I ran a deep-medium brood chamber and was hindered in manipulations, so I switched to all mediums which cut down on inventory. However, our state inspector has talked about the extra gap in the brood area causing cluster problems in winter.

After seeing your posts of the Taranov split, I’m impressed with the number of bees y’all have and am considering changing to 3 deeps.

Thanks