10 frames

[SixFooter]

I've fed a colony from a newly mated Queen to the point where it is now covering 10 frames. I've stopped feeding , but should I put a super on or is it too late in the year?

 

[oliver90owner]

How do you over-winter? If it's a brood and a super - definitely put one on!

The date is only the first of August! Lots on the forum were doom and gloom at this time last year but when did the bees eventually curl up in bed?

My bees provisioned themselves last autumn. I Didn't feed at all. They were equivalent to a brood and a half (14 x 12s) and none needed feeding throughout the winter.

Is that bees covering 10 frames or ten frames drawn (or even ten frames of brood)? Either way, if they are strong enough I would be giving them some extra space - even if it were only for a bit of comb building.

Regards, RAB

 

[SixFooter]

Thanks. Appreciated.
I stopped feeding last week, but today I saw the bees occupying 10 drawn frames in the hive. All frames had brood on them and 4 were completely full of capped brood. There were lots of eggs as well in fact not many cells were empty. It could be that this queen is better than her mum. She is enormous as well.
I'll put a super on next week, but in the meantime, I took a frame of capped brood out and added it to a weak nuc.

 

[oliver90owner]

For those new beeks, read 'hatching brood' instead of just 'capped brood'. Can be a fair difference in time to emergence if the frame is only recently capped. That can make life hard in a weak nuc, having to keep it warm for the extra time. New house bees ASAP is what they need.

Regards, RAB