Brood box filling up with honey.

[Tomo]

Hi, this is my second year of beekeeping. Cut a long story short....I have two hives in a similar situation as last year. I am waiting for two queens to come into lay. The bees are well beehaved but the larger colony is slowly filling the BB with stores. There are two supers on top, the lower of which is half drawn, the top one foundation only. I removed a full super of OSR. My question is: will they move the stores up once HM starts to lay or should I give them the wet super back? The stores are in the normal nest type shape but the end combs are becoming congested. I thought they would draw the supers alittle quicker than they are. Thanks.

 

[Finman]

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Let them fill what ever. Of course they store honey into the brood, if queen does not lay. Do not force them to move stores. It is vain job. Use brood frames as honey frames and extract them. If flow continues, give new foundations to be drawn.

 

[kighill]

Have you got a queen excluder on? If so try removing it bees are often reluctant to go through them but will do so happily once they start filling with honey.

 

[Finman]

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As long as queen does not lay, you do not need excluder.

 

[jonnybeegood]

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As long as queen does not lay, you do not need excluder.

But then when you want to put it on its a lot harder to find the Queen to put her below it.

 

[Tomo]

The excluder is on. The girls are also above it and drawing foundation nicely, no problem there. Just wondered if this was normal behaviour as it didn't happen to the same extent last year.

 

[Arfermo]

I suggest you reverse the supers, the one with most contents on the top. That should draw the bees up over the lower one to continue doing what comes naturally. Could smear some syrup/honey on the undrawn comb in the middle of the lower super as that might lead them up too. When they get the top one nearly filled to their satisfaction, they will pay more attention to the lower one - if they won't have done so anyway.

 

[wessexmario]

You could remove the foundation only super for a while until they've fully drawn and are filling the other one. Having available space is good, but too much space means they have to unnecessarily manage more hive volume for ventilation and temperature.
If you want to get the super combs drawn, then rearrange them so that the undrawn frames are in the centre of the boxes (whether you use one super or two) as the bees will find it easier to draw comb over the warmer central area of the brood.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Have you got a queen excluder on? If so try removing it bees are often reluctant to go through them

I must be doing something wrong - I have yet to witness this amazing phenomenon

 

[thenovice]

????? Am i the only one confused by the fact that your queens are not laying yet??? I presume these are new virgins waiting to be mated. otherwise, you will be waiting a long time...

is it honey or nectar? if nectar, they will take whatever space is available and that will only take a fraction once evaporated so when your queen comes into lay, most of it will disappear as water vapour. if you have a box of foundation and the flow stays on, they should be drawing that quickly if all else is filled. giving the wet super back will delay the foundation being drawn. action depends what you want to achieve: drawn comb or max honey

 

[enrico]

Leave them well alone. They will sort it all out as they need to.
E

 

[Tomo]

Yes 'thenovice' in each hive a newly mated queen (I hope) which should both be laying by next weekend if my notes are correct. Similar situation that I had last year despite my best efforts at stopping them swarming - plenty of room/stores/ last years Q etc etc. Have to admit that what I thought would be a more straight forward year has started to be a case of de ja vu! After lots of reading and chatting with more experienced Beeks I think that my bees probably came from a swarm once apon a time (I got them from a couple, a few villages away), so have a tendency to swing into swarm mode as soon as conditions are good. Time to get serious and get a couple of decent Queens, after all you don't get a mongrel if you want to win a field trial...you get a gundog! (if you get my analogy).

 

[enrico]

But mongrels can be good all rounders....all bees swarm, don,'t think you can get a strain that won't!
E

 

[Tomo]

So you mean that I can't get non swarming, docile mega honey producing queens....oh no.....gutted......!

 

[Thymallus]

There are two supers on top, the lower of which is half drawn, the top one foundation only. .

And therein, me thinks, lies your problem. Nowhere in the supers to store the honey, yet. Hence they store where they can. You could add back the super you extracted from as this is drawn and presumably now empty ready for refilling.

 

[Tomo]

Thanks Thymallus, I was thinking the same. I will pop it on above the super they are drawing at the moment. It may be too chilly for wax production above?

 

[Tomo]

Should I put the empty wet super directly above the BB or above the super that is half drawn?

 

[Obee1]

I must be doing something wrong - I have yet to witness this amazing phenomenon

Must be your cataracts

 

[Finman]

Should I put the empty wet super directly above the BB or above the super that is half drawn?

What do you mean with wet?

 

[Tomo]

Finman: wet as in, this year's spun out OSR frames i.e. one supers worth.