I always add a second brood chamber of foundation on top of the existing one, and lift a frame of brood from the lower chamber to place in the center of the top box, frame of foundation replaces this frame of brood in the bottom box, placed towards the outside of the box, feed thin syrup if no nectar flow, when they have drawn out several of the top frames of foundation i place any containing just stores to the outer walls of the box, moving any remaining undrawn foundation frames towards the center, plus place drawn comb back into bottom box and move foundation frame up to the top, unless already drawn (they often don't)... this way the combs get well drawn right to the bottom bars, and the heat above helps the wax drawing process, i also often queen exclude a single box, and add a super for a while before adding a second brood box if only foundation...add the second brood when they are working the super well with plenty of bees.
Much the same as Dan really
Yes, if you do choose to put it on top you have more work to do.
The empty top box - far from the brood area - is a pretty cold and unwelcoming place to draw new wax (which needs hot bees).
The bees start drawing the comb at the top of the frame - the furthest from the brood nest!
Putting some brood up there does indeed force them to have bees and warmth up there.
In contrast, if you put the foundation box beneath, you need to ... just ... wait.
And they will draw it if they need it, when they need it.
The new wax is made and applied close to the brood nest, so the wax making process is a much easier (cheaper on energy = less honey loss), so also quicker, process than drawing foundation way away from where the mass of bees are.
If I might correct Dan slightly.
The natural thing for bees to do is to extend their comb downwards.
In feral nests, the brood nest starts near the top and migrates lower, as new comb is made and honey is stored above the brood.
A super is an un-natural situation for the bees - storing honey where Q can't possibly get to? It is part of the artifice of beekeeping and honey production - not the bees behaviour.
The Warré hive, ghastly though it may be for beekeeping, seeks to replicate the natural action of combs being extended *downwards*. You don't put 'supers' on a Warré - you add empty boxes *under* the brood ...
In short, you could just chuck an empty box on top, but that is a pretty poor way of doing things. With all that implies for costs and chances of success. (Try it with a brand new box, new frames and foundation - and watch them swarm rather than bother with the void above!)
Or you can mess about as Hivemaker describes, and try to encourage/drive the bees to do something unnatural.
But if you keep shunting frames about, you
will get all the frames fully drawn (to the beekeepers satisfaction) - at the expense of the bees being unable to much else at that time.
Or you can just put it underneath and let them draw and use it when and if they care to. Likely a bit at a time.
This one should be a no-brainer.
