1:1 Syrup - draw out super frames

[Peadarg]

Hello fellow beekeepers,

I hope you and your bees are well and looking forward to the season ahead. I have a strong overwintered hive of bees. Approx 9 frames of bees and 3-4 frames of brood. I want to add a super however the frames in the super are not drawn out.
So I was thinking of feeding the bees 1:1 syrup to encourage them to go draw out the frames in the super and hence move into the super to give them extra space. Do you think this is the right course of action or is there anything else I could do?
Thanks in advance,
Peter

 

[JamezF]

For clarity, you're talking about going to brood-and-a-half?

James

 

[Swarm]

Not big enough to super yet.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Hello fellow beekeepers,

I hope you and your bees are well and looking forward to the season ahead. I have a strong overwintered hive of bees. Approx 9 frames of bees and 3-4 frames of brood. I want to add a super however the frames in the super are not drawn out.
So I was thinking of feeding the bees 1:1 syrup to encourage them to go draw out the frames in the super and hence move into the super to give them extra space. Do you think this is the right course of action or is there anything else I could do?
Thanks in advance,
Peter

Wait till you have 7 full frames of brood then give them another brood box if you want them on two boxes. Brood and a half is the devil. At least with two broods you have frames all the same size which helps in any future manipulations.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I was thinking of feeding the bees 1:1 syrup to encourage them to go draw out the frames in the super and hence move into the super to give them extra space. Do you think this is the right course of action

No, definitely not. For a start, as others have said, the colony is nowhere strong enough to be given more space - wait until they are on at least seven frames full of brood before supering. No need to feed them to encourage them to draw - you are only going to contaminate the honey with sugar - there will be enough forage around for them to make wax.
If you are thinking of adding a super for more brood space, brood and a half is an aberration - the devil's work. if they need a 'half' extra then they need a 'full' extra really, so are better off on double brood

 

[pargyle]

Hello fellow beekeepers,

I hope you and your bees are well and looking forward to the season ahead. I have a strong overwintered hive of bees. Approx 9 frames of bees and 3-4 frames of brood. I want to add a super however the frames in the super are not drawn out.
So I was thinking of feeding the bees 1:1 syrup to encourage them to go draw out the frames in the super and hence move into the super to give them extra space. Do you think this is the right course of action or is there anything else I could do?
Thanks in advance,
Peter

As well as the advice above which is good ... it always helps if we know what size boxes you are using ... there can be very different advice if you are working with standard nationals compared to bigger hives such as Langstroth or 14x12's. It's good idea to include this in your profile.

 

[Ian123]

As above but whist many appear to be concerned with space for honey if your queen is already filling most the brood box with brood I’d be more concerned with laying space and adding an additional brood. Not confining her bellow an excluder! They can certainly store honey in the bb but she can’t lay above an excluder.

 

[Peadarg]

Thank you all very much for your advice and best of luck for the season ahead.