2 Nationals to the Heather, do I add more undrawn supers?

[Speybee]

I don’t know why JBM does it but I have gone one better And put a half in each corner. Giving the bees more exit holes makes for faster clearing.

Is this becoming a rocket race?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

JBM Please enlighten me why you cut the rhombus into 2 as shown , rather than using it with a centre hole in the CB in the way intended?

It was a modification that another forumite posted, the rationale made sense - bees tend to move down the super by walking on the sides, the holes are at the sides not the middle and, also you have two exit holes for them to go through not one therefore half the time needed to clear?
I've used both and what I have found is, although the bees clear down no quicker in one or the other (saying that, it's only an assumption as I don't know when exactly, in the preceeding 12 or 24 hours the last one exited) I have definitely found that the bees find their way back up a lot quicker using a centre hole.
I sometimes have clearer boards on for a few days at the furthest out apiaries, once nearly a week, and no bees went back up, with the centre hole they sometimes find their way back after two or three days.
But to be honest - I just like the shape

 

[Erichalfbee]

Is this becoming a rocket race?

ex Canadian Clearer

 

[Speybee]

ex Canadian Clearer

View attachment 21763

Thanks for the photo and the advice much appreciated

 

[Speybee]

This is what I’ve found in the garage.
Can I use as is, will it work ref the drone blockage problem?
Or do I add the rhombus trap thingies?
Thanks

 

[Speybee]

ex Canadian Clearer

View attachment 21763

Did you remove the red cones?
And does it work without the rhombus thingies?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

This is what I’ve found in the garage.
Can I use as is, will it work ref the drone blockage problem?
Or do I add the rhombus trap thingies?
Thanks

I believe they work fairly well, I would still convert to a rhombus eventually though - any unneeded holes can simply be closed by stapling a piece of plastic or thin ply over it - it's only on for 24 hours so no need for a craftsman job

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Did you remove the red cones?
And does it work without the rhombus thingies?

It will work as it is but you will have to remove the cones to convert to a rhombus.

 

[Speybee]

It will work as it is but you will have to remove the cones to convert to a rhombus.

Thanks that’s me off to the Heather.
I will remove one partially capped honey super of syrup/honey nectar, but rather than take it home, is there any harm in sticking it on top of the hive next door at the Heather?
And on the other hive stick on the new honey super of unwired premium wax to see if I get a Heather honey crop?...Heather in full bloom up here now, and a break in the weather it’s dry at 15C?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

is there any harm in sticking it on top of the hive next door at the Heather?

You always run the risk of robbing, I would take it home and seal it up

 

[Speybee]

You always run the risk of robbing, I would take it home and seal it up

I was already away by the time I saw your advice, as I just stuck the uncapped super on top of the other hive.
Once more I forgot about the possibility of robbing and gloried on (I never think mine have such nasty habits, but unfortunately they do) and I should have taken up a mouse guard to reduce the entrance
My barometer says change and the clouds look heavy, so may get the remnants of Storm Francis tomorrow so I will take a look at the top supers on Sunday and fingers crossed no robbing, as I should have waited for your advice
If they are robbing I will shake them off and take away the uncapped supers.
I can’t spin them as they are unwired and will just disintegrate in my tangential spinner and I have reservations about storing uncapped nectar over winter due to attracting pests.

 

[Speybee]

This is the Heather today

 

[Speybee]

I still think it’s got a bit to go before it stops flowering.

 

[user 819]

All my super frames are unwired, only have odd breakages if there is a good amount of pollen in them.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I can’t spin them as they are unwired and will just disintegrate in my tangential spinner

No they won't you just have to take a little more care - I have a mixture of wired and unwired shallows and they all go through the spinner - get blowouts in the wired ones more often than the unwired.
Personally I think wiring shallows is a bit of a waste of time, they don't need the reinforcing, it's only preferable in deeps as you are constantly flipping them over, heavy with brood whilst inspecting.

 

[Speybee]

No they won't you just have to take a little more care - I have a mixture of wired and unwired shallows and they all go through the spinner - get blowouts in the wired ones more often than the unwired.
Personally I think wiring shallows is a bit of a waste of time, they don't need the reinforcing, it's only preferable in deeps as you are constantly flipping them over, heavy with brood whilst inspecting.

I must stop eating my porridge as I must be resembling a cross between the wild women of Borneo and Arnie Sshwarznegger ( you know who I mean.....the “I’ll BE BACK” fella ) as last year I inadvertently had some unwired thin wax frames...and the mess, it all disintegrated!

 

[Speybee]

All my super frames are unwired, only have odd breakages if there is a good amount of pollen in them.

All my unwired wax disintegrated in the spinner, but interesting to find out from you that pollen is a factor.
Will look next time I dare to spin the thin unwired combs again and go easy on the fried Mars Bars and stop guzzling Irn Bru (it IS made from Girders, after all!)

 

[user 819]

I start off gently to unload the frames before giving them a good wizz, I find any with pollen are usually ok once the honey is out.

 

[Frizzaldo]

but its likely there is some heather honey in there which won't help with spinning them out on thin unwired foundation. I would use for feeding (nadir it).

on the drones in the super problem, how did they end up in the super? the queen excluder should stop them getting into the super.

 

[Speybee]

but its likely there is some heather honey in there which won't help with spinning them out on thin unwired foundation. I would use for feeding (nadir it).

on the drones in the super problem, how did they end up in the super? the queen excluder should stop them getting into the super.

This was another hive in my garden that I was intending to take to the Heather.
It had a honey super with capped honey and as I had done previously I put a clearer board with porter escapes and the porter escapes got jammed with drones and the super did not clear.
This was a first for me having drones blocking the porter escapes and I will look at using a different clearer board next season, such as a plain Canadian or a modified one with rhombus as suggested by other forumites.