Bees ignoring supers

[Erichalfbee]

A clue to holding them back? Or just simply they don't need it yet? I.e. is it actually harming them?

The latter.
There’s a chap of some repute going the rounds who puts 4 supers on at once in March and doesn’t inspect the brood till the bees are solidly filling the third. He swears by it

 

[Erichalfbee]

I've lost a few by not giving too much space through swarming. You get to know your bees, it will take a few years however, you will.

Always learning!

Yes. The trick is realising how fast they are moving. There are times when inspecting the supers once a week is not enough

 

[Poly Hive]

I was going offshore for two weeks the next day. I went round an apiary and thought that's odd the bees are bearding. I checked the supers (always the empty on top for this very reason) near stuffed full.... Been cleared of honey 5 days prior. Three supers on and groaning.

Lessons? It pays to check. It pays to have the kit to hand. It really pays to understand that a good colony can move like the proverbial greased lightning.

PH