added suppers today

[loving_allsorts]

I went into the hive today for a few reasons.

A month ago I put a bag of fondant in there and I Wanted to take it out. I'd made the school boy error of just opening and placing it onto the top of the brood box bars. Then a Put the crown and the lid on. This created a 20mm cavity all around the bag. Needless to say when I went in today they had filled it with comb.

I also wanted to get in because the wether is nice and I wanted to see how they were doing.

I took the opportunity As it was nice and 17 degrees, to cut all comb away to bring it to the top of the bars again. The queen had been laying in this new comb and I'm glad to say the although lots were worker cells they had drawn some drone. Once I have removed the unwanted cells I put the QE on, then a super of frames (they had just drawn the 11th brood frame so I guess they'll soon fill it with honey/brood and need more space) and the crown followed by an empty super and the roof, set up and ready for feeding.

I refer back to my previous comment of being glad for the brood. The cells I cut away were inspected back at home and all cells contained wrigglies, and neither worker nor drone, contained mites! I was quite chuffed with that. Puts your mind at rest at this time of year.

SO With Spring/ summer hitting us earlyish this year when is everybody going to start feeding. Clearly we are having good weather but there isn't a great lot out flowering yet.

Should we be thinking about starting maybe next week end?

Mark

 

[Erichalfbee]

I went into the hive today for a few reasons.

(they had just drawn the 11th brood frame so I guess they'll soon fill it with honey/brood and need more space)
SO With Spring/ summer hitting us earlyish this year when is everybody going to start feeding. Clearly we are having good weather but there isn't a great lot out flowering yet.

Should we be thinking about starting maybe next week end?

Mark

Lots to think about there.
How many frames of brood are there (note, not brood on frames which isn't the same)?
Usual advice is to super on 6/7 frames of brood.
The nights are a bit cold still and adding an empty super leaves a lot of space to heat if you aren't bursting with bees.They need warmth to raise the brood.
How's the colony for stores?
Do you need to feed?
It's not a good idea to feed with a super on as that's where the feed will go.

Four years ago Midlands and North West had snow at Easter

 

[rae]

Indeed, the obvious question is why you would feed and have a super on? The only time I would do this is going into winter with a standard brood & super, and wanting to fill both with stores.

 

[Midland Beek]

If they are working in the super in a week or two then putting one on was the right thing to do.

Hope that you did not squash the queen when you scraped all that wild comb away.

A single National as a brood area is too small. People worked this out about 100 years ago.

And why would anyone feed with a super on?

 

[Silly Bee]

If they are working in the super in a week or two then putting one on was the right thing to do.

Hope that you did not squash the queen when you scraped all that wild comb away.

A single National as a brood area is too small. People worked this out about 100 years ago.

And why would anyone feed with a super on?

Only reason I heard was so they could store in comb, ready for next Winter.

But as always, someone will have another answer.

 

[countryman]

putting supers on 3 of my hives tomorrow they have been filling the comb with fresh nector and starting to confine the queen and also built in between crownboard and lid and filled that as well dont know what nector it is but there are a few willow nearby brood on about 6 frames evan had to take blocks out to change to halve size openings because of traffic jam at the front

 

[oliver90owner]

and also built in between crownboard and lid

How? A bit obvious, but is your crown board moth eaten, rotten or what? I wouild suggest you cahange it for one with no holes in it.

 

[abi-e]

I put a super on today as well. The bees had built comb between the frames and the crownboard and up into the container where I was feeding fondant (which they did not need). They were absolutely bursting at the seams, bringing in a load of pollen and definitely ready for the storage space!! It reached a balmy 21 degrees in the sunshine here this afternoon!

 

[MuswellMetro]

and also built in between crownboard and lid

How? A bit obvious, but is your crown board moth eaten, rotten or what? I wouild suggest you cahange it for one with no holes in it.

easy to make///my local timber merchant will cut a 2.4m by 1,2m 6mm ply sheet into 10 crown boards 46cm by 46cm for £12.50

add a 18mm x 6mm strip around the edge on one side and i have crown boards at about £3 each.....without holes

drill a large hole in the middle......feeder board

add a rhombus clearer (£2.50) and 18x18 on other side edge...clearer board THAT WORKS for £7.50 ( see PH post on theses)

how much does the main retailer charge....£14.50 plus £8 P&P for a mediocre multipurpose clearer cum crown board that works well as neither

 

[countryman]

its a brand new one derrr through the feed hole because i have waited to open up they got a bit impatient and got on with it you cant win sometimes some are only just starting where as some are well ahead

 

[countryman]

musswell it costs me about 13 quid to make 10 brood box size(460x460) and 5 nuc size using 9mm ply 3/3

 

[Arfermo]

and also built in between crownboard and lid

How? A bit obvious, but is your crown board moth eaten, rotten or what? I wouild suggest you cahange it for one with no holes in it.

Or use the side with a smaller bee space? Most of mine have a deeper rebate one side than the other.

 

[loving_allsorts]

Thanks for the feedback.

I didn't look through the frames. I was considering that there is a potential that all the space was being used for brood. Therfore there is a potential that there is very little stores in there. Since I don't know when the necter flow will really kick in, and there aren't a great load of flowers out in my area I thought they may need a bit of spring syrup. Does that not make sense? The super I just put on will mean if I have it wrong and they find a great source of necter then jobs a gooden, they can store it in the super and I can take the feed off them.

Crazy?

 

[psafloyd]

How do you know all the space is being used for brood if you haven't looked at the frames?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Crazy?

OFHS yes!
Have a look through the frames then make a decision otherwise you haven't a clue.