Advice on where to place feeder please

[Martimart]

Hi.

I have 2 hives both 14x12 both purchased as Nucs in early July this year, Brood / Bee’s over all frames on both hives and both hives have had one super on for the past month. Hive 1 has drawn out the super frames across 7 frames of the super and 3 frames full but not capped and very runny, so not touched. Hive 2 has drawn out all the frames in the super and I took X3 frames of capped honey and extracted yesterday.

I have put in x2 Apivar strips into both Hives brood boxes, I wanted to also start feeding some sugar syrup, and I’m not sure where in the hive to place it, The hive is currently 14x12 Brood Box - Super - Crown Board - Roof. I was going to put a eke with Rapid Feeder between the Brood Box and the super, I ‘m just worried about them filling the super with the syrup when I’d like to remove the super before the weather turns so they are just in the BB. Am I over thinking this ?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

plenty of time before thinking of feeding, really speaking you should have removed the supers before starting treating (you could have waited another week or two)
With 14x12's you definitely don't need a super on over winter.
If I were you I'd take the supers off now and put them under the brood boxes for the bees to move the stores up remove these nadired supers by the middle of September then put the feeder on and give them at least a couple of gallons each of 2:1 although there would be no harm in leaving the nadired supers in place during feeding (just makes the brood boxes heavier to lift)

 

[user 20297]

Hi.

I have 2 hives both 14x12 both purchased as Nucs in early July this year, Brood / Bee’s over all frames on both hives and both hives have had one super on for the past month. Hive 1 has drawn out the super frames across 7 frames of the super and 3 frames full but not capped and very runny, so not touched. Hive 2 has drawn out all the frames in the super and I took X3 frames of capped honey and extracted yesterday.

I have put in x2 Apivar strips into both Hives brood boxes, I wanted to also start feeding some sugar syrup, and I’m not sure where in the hive to place it, The hive is currently 14x12 Brood Box - Super - Crown Board - Roof. I was going to put a eke with Rapid Feeder between the Brood Box and the super, I ‘m just worried about them filling the super with the syrup when I’d like to remove the super before the weather turns so they are just in the BB. Am I over thinking this ?

If you wll be using the honey from the supers then you need to either remove them now or take away the Apivar pronto. As recently discussed and stated on the label, it will contaminate honey and may have negative effects on human health.

If you feed the bees with sugar I'm pretty sure they will put some in the honey supers regardless of where it is applied. I think putting the eke at the top is the standard approach. So this adds to the same dilemma. I went through the same a few weeks ago and reduced as many hives as I could to one box. I have two in in the same position as you and decided to treat and feed and reserve the eventually capped frames of mixed sugar and honey for winter feeding or for early season or splits feeding next year.

 

[Murox]

Doesn't the Apivarpacket state: Do not use during honey flow. Do not extract honey from the brood chamber. Do not harvest honey when the treatment is in place ?
I would just nadir the supers now so they move the stores up into the brood boxes, then take the empty supers off. at that point check how much stores they have a then feed appropriately.

 

[Boston Bees]

Lots of good advice above. But if you do put the super under the brood box I would make sure that your entrances are significantly reduced, as you will be putting a chunk of sugary loveliness just by the door to tempt wasps.

PS: One thing you definitely can't do is put an eke with a circular rapid feeder in between the brood box and the super. They will fill the gap with wild comb and create chaos.

 

[Martimart]

Thanks for your advice and comments really helpful as always.

I wasn’t planning on taking any honey now. So the replies got me thinking, if I do as @jenkinsbrynmair says and nadir the super below the broodbox in the hive I’ve taken 3 frames of honey from and leave the apivar in place.

The second hive which I’ve not taken any honey from as its not yet ready, I’m thinking take the apivar off as its only been on from yesterday afternoon, don’t feed this one and just leave it another couple of weeks then see if I can get a frame or two of honey and if not then carry on as per hive 1 and nadir in 2 weeks time, would that work?

I’d put the treatments on because I wasn’t planning on taking anymore honey, but the posts suggest I’m ok to leave them for another couple of weeks, so I might get some!!

 

[Martimart]

Lots of good advice above. But if you do put the super under the brood box I would make sure that your entrances are significantly reduced, as you will be putting a chunk of sugary loveliness just by the door to tempt wasps.

PS: One thing you definitely can't do is put an eke with a circular rapid feeder in between the brood box and the super. They will fill the gap with wild comb and create chaos.

Thank you I’d not thought of that !

 

[Martimart]

plenty of time before thinking of feeding, really speaking you should have removed the supers before starting treating (you could have waited another week or two)
With 14x12's you definitely don't need a super on over winter.
If I were you I'd take the supers off now and put them under the brood boxes for the bees to move the stores up remove these nadired supers by the middle of September then put the feeder on and give them at least a couple of gallons each of 2:1 although there would be no harm in leaving the nadired supers in place during feeding (just makes the brood boxes heavier to lift)

Thank you very much, always great advice from you all. I think I’ll Nadir the one hive I’ve taken honey from, and take the Apivar from the other hive pronto and see if that gets me some honey, leaving the super in place above the brood box for another couple of weeks