Can I have your SUPER advice

[sandysman]

Morning folks,

As this is my first full year of beekeeping I have had nothing to offer the bees other than undrawn foundation. My best hive drew out the first super and best part filled it by early July. I added a second super, again only foundation which they drew out and then of course we had the wet weather. I now have only four frames of honey in the first super worth extracting but not yet capped, all the other frames are either empty or have small amounts of honey in them.
I am thinking of extracting the best four when they are capped and returning the rest to the bees. Am I best doing this under the brood box with or without a queen excluder? And the second question is should I take off the second super now and put that under the brood box to encourage them to empty what little there is in it and move it up to either the brood box for winter stores or to the other super?
Thanks in anticipation.

Andy

 

[drex]

You do not have to wait until honey is capped to extract. If you shake a frame face down and no honey flies out it is likely to have a low enough water content to be OK. Would need a refractometer to make certain, but I rarely use mine if it passes the shake test. If you take some honey will they have enough left to keep them going for a while? I know the thrill of getting that honey if it is your first or a small crop, but think of the bees.

bear in mind you are further North than me, but I would not be wanting to fill up my brood box with stores just yet, as I want to leave HM the maximum room to lay the winter bees.

Have you checked on Varroa levels? Once you have taken what honey you intend to take, my priority is to treat for Varroa ( as indicated by the levels - but that is a matter of debate any way). My next concern is to ensure adequate winter stores and then tuck them in for the winter, but will not be doing that for perhaps next 6-8 weeks.

How strong are your colonies? What sort of bees? Will they need box and half to overwinter?

 

[Lorenz]

I mostly agree, but the comment about further North, made me wonder. If you are further North, so the cold comes in sooner, but the light stays longer do you need to start feeding sooner or not?

I'll be feeding because there is so little forage at some sites that when you approach the apiary you wonder where the bees have gone, because there is such reduced flying, and then when you open the boxes, they are still crammed with bees, but staying inside mostly as there is no point foraging for nectar.

Is the net amount of stores in the colony increasing or decreasing?

 

[BeeJayBee]

... If you are further North, so the cold comes in sooner, but the light stays longer .....

Sorry, no.

Added up throughout the year everywhere gets the same total number of daylight hours.

Northern latitudes get more daylight during the 'summer' months, but less daylight during the 'winter' months. The equinoxes are the turning point.

 

[BeeNice]

With the problems of queen cells still being made, and the supers starting to be filled I have now moved the QE to the top of the first super. Which for me is the winter arrangement. I have still a flow on with HB and daisies etc. some of my hives are now on brood and half allowing the bees free access to the first super and then the QE and another super on top. If the top one gets filled, great. If not all I will move the honey store into the lower super for the bees to overwinter on. Also I have a VERY low varroa count, may just treat with OX this year, but, will still carry on counting the little mites.

 

[FreeFall]

Morning folks,

I am thinking of extracting the best four when they are capped and returning the rest to the bees. Am I best doing this under the brood box with or without a queen excluder?

Andy

Don't put a queen excluder under the brood box - think about drones....

 

[Tdf]

Morning folks,

As this is my first full year of beekeeping I have had nothing to offer the bees other than undrawn foundation. My best hive drew out the first super and best part filled it by early July. I added a second super, again only foundation which they drew out and then of course we had the wet weather. I now have only four frames of honey in the first super worth extracting but not yet capped, all the other frames are either empty or have small amounts of honey in them.
I am thinking of extracting the best four when they are capped and returning the rest to the bees. Am I best doing this under the brood box with or without a queen excluder? And the second question is should I take off the second super now and put that under the brood box to encourage them to empty what little there is in it and move it up to either the brood box for winter stores or to the other super?
Thanks in anticipation.

Andy

just extract whats there and next year give the frames with small amounts back, not worth your while going messing about giving back supers if theres nothing in them

 

[Foxylad]

There is no rush to feed, a strong colony can compete there feed before the varroa treatment has finished.

Wait until the flow has finished, then think of extraction.

 

[sandysman]

Thanks for the advice gang.

Andy

 

[aberreef]

Another tip is to put the top super above your crown board with the feed hole open enough to allow the bees through. They will then treat this as being outside their hive and move the stores down, cleaning the super ready for winter storage

 

[jackbee]

Another tip is to put the top super above your crown board with the feed hole open enough to allow the bees through. They will then treat this as being outside their hive and move the stores down, cleaning the super ready for winter storage

Worked for me this week

 

[oliver90owner]

If you are further North, so the cold comes in sooner, but the light stays longer do you need to start feeding sooner or not?

Think autumnal equinox here. You comment may not be right as a generality!

 

[BeeJayBee]

If you are further North, so the cold comes in sooner, but the light stays longer do you need to start feeding sooner or not?

Think autumnal equinox here. You comment may not be right as a generality!

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showpost.php?p=268102&postcount=4