Brood in supers.

[bobba]

I have 2 hives, H1 and H2.

H1 Started the year as a brood and a ½. I put a QE and Super on, but the bees refused to go through the QE. So, following the advice from another beekeeper I occasionally see, I took off the QE and put the super under the ½ brood to get them started drawing it out.

I later moved it back to the top of the hive, but had clearly left it too long as they had started raising brood in the super. So, I checked for the queen in the super, could not see her, so put the super back on the top with the QE back in place.

A week or so later I checked the hive and it was looking crowded, so I put another super above the QE, but below the old super. So, it has a brood and a ½ and 2 supers above a QE.

Then a week or so later I discovered there is still a bit of drone brood above the QE, but found a charged queen cell almost capped in the oldest super. I have some swarm traps set, so thought I would let them do their thing if they want to swarm so removed the QE.

Looking today it seems the bees have destroyed the Q-cell, but now there is brood scattered in all the supers and brood boxes. The hive was looking crowded again, so I have put another super on above a QE. This time it has a mix of old and new comb so am hoping they will pass through the QE.

H2 is a similar story, except this hive is not as strong and no QE was ever used. It currently has a brood and ½ and a super. But again, there is brood scattered in every box. Looking today they probably need another super so I will be prepping one ready for them.

So, in short, what should I do next?

How will I ever get the supers off the hives towards the end of the season if they using them for brood?

Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks as always.

 

[Murox]

First off gather/compact all the frames of brood into as few boxes as you can under your QE then put on your shallow boxes. How many Brood frames of brood have you got now ? and how many shallow frames of brood have you got now? Decide whether you want to continue with brood and a half or go to double brood, or single brood.

 

[pargyle]

How will I ever get the supers off the hives towards the end of the season if they using them for brood?

Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks as always.

By the end of the summer (time to take your supers off) the brood will have emerged and they will have filled the cells with honey. I don't use queen excluders .. it often happens that the queen will lay up in an arc in the middle of the frames early in the season - but it's gone by extraction time.

It's up to you ...I wouldn't bother messing about.. the bees want to what they want to do.

 

[bobba]

Thanks guys.

I think I will do a bit of both.

I will leave them as they are for now. But if I later see the opportunity to to get a full super with a bit of swapping then I will go for it.

pargyle,

you say "By the end of the summer (time to take your supers off)" exactly when is that in our part of the word? I am guessing about the end of August?

 

[pargyle]

Thanks guys.

pargyle,

you say "By the end of the summer (time to take your supers off)" exactly when is that in our part of the word? I am guessing about the end of August?

Yes .. I usually take them off around the end of August .. depending on the weather down here ... first week September latest - whilst there is still forage for them and they have time to fill the brood frames (I run 14 x 12) with enough stores to see them through. I get a lot of ivy around me that is usually in blossom around 2nd week in October and once they have had that as well I will weigh and feed if necessary and make sure they are well stuffed.

All weather dependent of course .. no such thing as a fixed timetable in beekeeping ...