Encouraging bees to Draw out supers

[joelsoo]

Hi, I had got 2 hives requeened successfully and 2 swarms collected in late April now established in 2 more full hives making a total of 4 hives.

For the hives from swarms, the brood box's frames are doing very well now but I currently have no super frames with foundations drawn. The idea is now its a month away from July/Aug nectar flow, but with June gap they are probably not gonna draw much of the foundations (or they may) should I feed them slightly for them to draw out these supers foundations, or should I just let nature take its course?

I am in southeast London and have read the june gap probably won't affect the bees much as they can forage from alot of other flowers etc. Compared to rural areas where there's more monoculture in agriculture and bees have to go further or have limited flowers to forage if they are fields of crops that had finished flowering in June .

Thoughts?

Cheers
Joel

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[joelsoo]

I had also been told to put a few frames of supers in the brood box and let the bees draw them out, afterwhich move these partial supers to the top super box so bees are familiar with partial drawn supers and draw out the rest after that.

Just thought what other ideas out there to encourage them.


[emoji848]

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[pargyle]

Before adding supers you need enough bees ..

How many frames of brood have you got in the hives ? Regardless of forage they will not draw frames out if they don't have enough bees ..

Putting a super on a hive when they are trying to build up is just adding useless space which they then have to cope with - you may be asking a bit much of what appears to be very new colonies ?

 

[joelsoo]

Before adding supers you need enough bees ..



How many frames of brood have you got in the hives ? Regardless of forage they will not draw frames out if they don't have enough bees ..



Putting a super on a hive when they are trying to build up is just adding useless space which they then have to cope with - you may be asking a bit much of what appears to be very new colonies ?

Oh they still have about 1 more brood frame to draw out at the bottom brood box , after that, all bottom 11 frames will be drawn.

In terms of bee quantity, I'd say its about 8 to 9 frames of bees full in a 11 frame national box. With quite alot of capped brood currently so they are u due to emerge fairly soon.

Maybe they will emerge by end of the month and the baby bees will draw the supers then.

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[jenkinsbrynmair]

You don't need/want to add a super until you have 7 or 8 frames full of brood (not just bees) - wait until they fully draw the brood box before doing anything.
There's no need for any magic tricks to get the bees up to draw comb in the supers - they will go up when they need to and will make comb as they need it.

 

[joelsoo]

You don't need/want to add a super until you have 7 or 8 frames full of brood (not just bees) - wsit until they fully draw the brood box before doing anything.

There's no need for any magic tricks to get the bees up to draw comb in the supers - they will go up when they need to and will make comb as they need it.

OK got it, I am still a greenhorn at this and quite excited to get started hence the enquiry.

I had prepared 8 super boxes and used about 4 which are now on the 2 main colonies, just prepping the others for the swarm colonies now.

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[Ian123]

Don’t get to hung up on this JUNE GAP if you are in London the flows on now and they will draw them.

 

[joelsoo]

Yeah in London. I think there are more flowers and plants in urban gardens etc that keeps giving the bees income.

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[Popparand]

OK got it, I am still a greenhorn at this and quite excited to get started hence the enquiry.

I had prepared 8 super boxes and used about 4 which are now on the 2 main colonies, just prepping the others for the swarm colonies now.

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Don't worry about being a greenhorn. In this game you keep learning until you're too old and knackered to carry on beeking.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Bees will only draw comb when they need to - if there's not honey to put in the comb, there's not much need in them drawing it in anticipation of the future. (Bees are clever little things, but not that clever!).
However a frame or more of drawn comb above the excluder does help them move up, and once they have started, they will continue if the need to.