It is currently accepted that old brood comb should be rotated out of the brood chamber every five years. The general practice is to rotate two combs in a 10-frame hive every year. There are a couple of ways to rotate the comb out. Also, several tipsand techniques are discussed that should be done periodically. This includes checking for Varroa mites and diseases.In South Carolina and the southeast, after the spring nectar flow and when the queen starts to reduce her egg laying, June is an excellent time to rotate two center brood combs to the outside of the brood chamber into positions one and 10. The other frames are pushed toward the center. When any remaining brood hatches, the old combs in position one and ten can then be replaced with fresh frames with foundation. One concern with the timing of this procedure is it is difficult to get the bees to draw outthe outside frames in June during a nectar dearth in South Carolina.
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