From a beginner, super not being drawn. Is this normal?

[Jim Newmark]

My colony survived the winter and seems to be doing very well with bees all over the top and really only a frame at each end empty - and lots of brood and happy bees bringing in loads of pollen. But the super has been on for three weeks and there is no real interest, even after removing the queen excluder. A few bees perhaps nosing away, but no sign of drawn comb.
Everybody else seems to be crating off their honey. So why are my bees so uninterested?

 

[enrico]

they will use it when they need it. if you have empty frames in bb they dont need it yet!!
presume it is fresh comb?

 

[Sadders]

I am fairly new to it too and noticed similar. My 14x12 BB was packed with bees, and full of brood and stores. The one super that was on had very few bees in and only one or two drawn out frames with no stores in them.

What I think I had done was set my bee space up wrong. My BB has bottom bee space but the way I had put the castelations in in the supers meant the super had top space. Because the number of frames in the super and BB are different they are offset and with the super frames sitting directly on the queen excluder I think they simply had very little space to get up. I am pretty sure that this error has cost me honey and a swarm.

I have now moved the castelations in my supers up to the top bars of the frames are flush with the top of the box. Will see if this has helped next week when I inspect.

 

[oliver90owner]

This thread from yesterday might be helpful.

http://beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18840

 

[bluejag]

I read somewhere that bee are less likely to draw comb if the super is above the queen excluder. The recommendation is to put the super below the queen excluder until they draw then move it up. But make sure the queen is not in it

 

[tonybloke]

I read somewhere

that sort of response can be dangerous, much the same as ' a bloke down the pub said'

advice from experience, is the best sort of advice, most find.

 

[Lindylou]

We had the same thing happen. Brood box full of bees except two end frames, added a super but they didnt seem interested. We added a feeder on top of the super as the weather was so bad, then hey presto - they started drawing out the frames in the super. Perhaps to store the sugar syrup in?

 

[oliver90owner]

Perhaps to store the sugar syrup in?

Eggzackerly what you don't want!

 

[MandF]

We had the same thing happen. Brood box full of bees except two end frames, added a super but they didnt seem interested. We added a feeder on top of the super as the weather was so bad, then hey presto - they started drawing out the frames in the super. Perhaps to store the sugar syrup in?

Should have just moved the 2 undrawn frames in 1, they will draw out any frames in between existing drawn frames!

 

[Lindylou]

So when you do suggest is the right time to put on a super?

 

[MandF]

So when you do suggest is the right time to put on a super?

I would put one on as soon as I see the brood box getting full, maybe 8/9 full frames.

Even if they dont use it immediately, the extra space for them is useful.

If you have undrawn (or unused) brood frames you could try swapping in a couple of super frames, then they should start to draw these straight away, then the next day move them back into the super and put the brood frames back - that will probably encourage them to continue to draw them.

others suggest spraying a little sugar syrup on the frames (I would do the middle 3) as this also encourages them up, if the QE is putting them off.

 

[Lindylou]

We put on a super because the brood box was full of bees and capped brood but had little in the way of stores. We were advised to put feed on top of the super which we did. On our next inspection they had started to draw out the frames in the super and had started to fill them with stores. A good thing we thought. Apparently not though, according to Oliver90owner. Am feeling a bit confused now.

 

[MandF]

You did everything right, except this time of year they shouldnt need feeding. They will have enough incoming every day for their needs.

If you look through the brood box, see little/no stores and then have a few days really bad weather, then maybe feeding might be necessary.

No harm done though, just stop feeding them now, especially as they have started to draw the super, they will continue.

 

[MandF]

Also, next season you will be much better off, as you will have some drawn super frames, which they can/will use immediately.

 

[thepliedes]

Don't think that is what Oliver 90 is saying. When the brood frames are full definitely put on a super as they need stores for more honey and space. A lot of beekeeping is about acting on facts (as we now know them to be) some of it is acting on experience and some of it is intuition (what would you do if you were a bee acting on the knowledge you know). Bees are wild insects, we just look after the ones we hive as best we can- responsibly acting on what we know, not just because we want a honey harvest. Their behaviours are different in each hive which still sharing some things in common. Personally, I would put on a super with a QE in between brood box and super and when the super is full, put on another super and leave them to do their own thing. I always leave a brood box and a super on over winter and use the excess for me. Ciao.

 

[MandF]

No, he was saying it was wrong to feed; "exactly what you dont want".

As opposed to it being unnecessary to feed, or unsurprising they are storing surplus syrup.

Remove the feed, no harm done.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

A little syrup can help get the bees drawing comb in the super.
A lot of syrup is a problem as it doesn't taste as nice as honey!

Lindylou is in Norfolk like me and I generally get a June Gap where there is little forage, so not a bad descision really. Better to have fed bees than dead ones. And if the space was needed for the bees - which is quite possible, then a super makes sense.

There are huge geographical differences around this small country of ours. It can be raining cats and dogs in one part and bone dry in another.

Lindylou, with the feeder off and the super started, then the bees should now start to get some forage - bramble should be out now.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Everybody else seems to be crating off their honey. So why are my bees so uninterested?

There might be some bragging going on sometimes! AND the worry "that mine is smaller than yours"

I got 27000 tonnes of honey last year from one hive. Honest! I'm a banker so I must be telling the truth!

 

[Poly Hive]

If there is no flow the bees have no excitement or income to generate wax with.

They are twiddling their wings and waiting better weather.

Feeding syrup will help of course but as Rab has pointed out already there is the danger of them storing it and you dinna want that for fear of contaminating your precious honey.

Patience.

PH

 

[Baggyone]

Need a honey flow thats all. Just because the super is on doesn't mean they will use it. Especially year 1. I had one colony this year that you would think would be all over the super of drawn comb, but never went near it untill the weather got a bit better. Now no problem.

And beekeepers "crating" honey off this year is not happening. I got mighty lucky in a two week window.

Baggy