Adding honey supers ad infinitum

[Murox]

At my scale of beekeeping I extract when it's ready, suits my life style and means I can work at my own pace with out having to lift to many boxes at any one time. I extract in my conservatory, keeps the honey nice and easy to spin out.

 

[user 819]

I don't talk about having tall colonies for bragging rights, they are simply tall because they need to be. They are to deal with the mega flows we are seeing, they simply can't ripen the nectar fast enough.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Trying that method this year as I have come to dread the mountain of work in August, and because I dread it there are usually boxes waiting in November.

Worked for me so far; agreed, it's more work to extract but as I take away finished boxes when doing routine checks, it's two jobs in one. Agree with JBM: dedicated storage and an extraction room is almost essential, but often I take the extractor to distant sites, rather than use fuel to drag full boxes 40 miles back to London.

Same here Eric, I’m extracting 1/2 day per week. Much nicer than a solid week of extracting at the end of the season. The only trouble is I’ll probably extract 3 times on most of my apiaries this year!

 

[Erichalfbee]

In describing tall as "good" I mean that in the same way in that having a big car is seen by some people as a display of success.

There have been competitions here in the past over who had the nastiest bees

 

[Garry R]

There have been competitions here in the past over who had the nastiest bees

I'd be a complete loser and won't bother to enter as mine are pretty placid judging from some comments on temper here. Perhaps mine know what awaits if they turned stroppy.

 

[Kaz]

From a practical point of view I limit the number of supers I add to 3 as far as possible. Although it's also challenging to find the time to extract periodically, I find it easier than trying to lift heavy supers above my head to check whether their full. Horses for courses but I can't physically manage 4/5/6+ supers on my own.

 

[Mabee]

Just make sure you’re not doing it too often…

 

[Kaz]

Just make sure you’re not doing it too often…

View attachment 36896

I believe, from speaking to my local council food safety team, that the 5 days in 5 weeks is obsolete now

 

[mychale]

Wind can cause problems with tall stacks. I have been called out to right tall stacks in the past.

 

[judy12]

I'm in Kaz's situation - one hive on brood and a half, gone mad - I've 3 supers on, all full, and am both short and old. Is there any point in moving one super to another, smaller colony so that the moved bees can use their foraging energy there? Or wd I be better to take a couple of supers off and store them - never done this before. How long can I store them in my workroom without the honey setting - or is that a length of string? .

 

[user 819]

If you move supers to another hive having carried out due diligenace regarding disease , virus etc,etc, one will have to use newspaper unite to stop fighting or clear the super first.

As regard to storing best to extract asap whilst still fluid and warm.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If you move supers to another hive having carried out due diligenace regarding disease , virus etc,etc, one will have to use newspaper unite to stop fighting or clear the super first.

no, just slap it on the receiving hive, there will only be a few house bees up there and I've never seen them fight.

 

[Swarm]

I'm in Kaz's situation - one hive on brood and a half, gone mad - I've 3 supers on, all full, and am both short and old. Is there any point in moving one super to another, smaller colony so that the moved bees can use their foraging energy there? Or wd I be better to take a couple of supers off and store them - never done this before. How long can I store them in my workroom without the honey setting - or is that a length of string? .

Should be no problem moving the super to the other hive, I've moved a number this season. Two hives received a super each last week from the hive in between as it was over my head.

 

[judy12]

Steve - did you use newspaper for this or were the receiving bees too busy celebrating? J

 

[Erichalfbee]

Steve - did you use newspaper for this or were the receiving bees too busy celebrating? J

super bees generally don’t fight so you can get away without newspaper.

To paraphrase a respected member here
“Don’t build high stacks to show off, it's far safer to clear the full ones.”

If it’s coming fast you can’t avoid it though

 

[Swarm]

Steve - did you use newspaper for this or were the receiving bees too busy celebrating? J

No newspaper.

 

[polymath]

If bees come bearing presents rarely fighting in my view. Either at the entrance i.e. take away a box and leave bees to go to nearby hives or putting a super on. I have some tall stacks that i will clear by clearing top boxes/moving to lower hives before taking all off in one go.

 

[Sutty]

Just make sure you’re not doing it too often…

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Can you send me a link to those regulations please?

 

[Mabee]

Can you send me a link to those regulations please?

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1991/2825/regulation/2/madeRegulation 2
However it has been pointed out above that this has now been updated / changed to exclude certain products, including honey. That is if I am reading it all correctly…
so effectively you can ignore my last post!
Regulation 3
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1991/2825/regulation/3/made