Full super, no spare

[KermitKrew]

As "newbees" we have managed to re-capture our girls when they swarmed etc. But the problem causing concern at the moment is, we have a super full of honey and 70% capped, and no spare available. Is it possible to take the honey from the super and replace it back, say late evening (about 3am!)
Appologies if this has been covered before.

 

[weatherman1200]

Yes

 

[KermitKrew]

Need a bit more than "yes", like a possible method and operations involved. but thanx anyway

 

[sahtlinurk]

take super off, spin honey out, put frames back in the super and super back where you took it. That's how i do it.

Lauri

 

[KermitKrew]

Anymore bright ideas and I'm off this forum. Daft answers I don't need. Proper considered help welcome.

 

[Hawklord]

Anymore bright ideas and I'm off this forum. Daft answers I don't need. Proper considered help welcome.

What are you struggling with? Perhaps you could take the capped frames out and replace with some drawn comb or foundation. Meanwhile you could order a super or 2.

 

[mark s]

take super off, spin honey out, put frames back in the super and super back where you took it. That's how i do it.

Lauri

im a newbee to m8
but that seems to me to answer the question you posed on the forum,what more do you need??

 

[Poly Hive]

You asked can I extract and replace the super the same day.

The answer, correctly was and is yes.

The problem is what? You don't know how to extract? No extractor?

How about making up 11 frames, remove combs with honey for extraction later, and replace the super with the new frames and foundation.

Also you might want to ponder on why it is deemed sensible to have AT LEAST 3 supers per hive. Personally I would be more comfortable with 4 per unit.

PH

 

[colin]

Poly Hive,
your right the guy has been given sound advice on his question forward planing in beekeeping a very big plus expect the unexpected supers can fill very quickly when the flow starts,
colin

 

[JCBrum]

Well, I've learned something from this. I thought 2 supers were the norm. It seems the old hands are suggesting 4 supers per hive is the norm at this time of year !

Have I got this right ?

JC.

 

[jon]

If you have native type bees in a single brood box you might get away with two but three is more sensible. It's not just for the honey. You have to give the bees space at certain times of the year or they will start to make swarm cells.

 

[Poly Hive]

Right. All stop here.

We are discussing super requirements.

Native bees only need two sups? Rubbish. I have supped AMM on five. Real Scottish AMM.

Beekeepers need only three sups per hive, doubtful.

Lets go back to basics.

Nectar to honey is 3:1

The problem is, (and I have it far more than most as I am working comb honey) is that the foragers shoot in the door, demand to be unloaded to the house bees, and shoot out for MORE. the poor house bees need to put the load in their tums some where... Like WHERE?

That answer is in your hands.

Super well in advance. Have supers of drawn comb available.

In desperation use a cardboard box. I kid not... but remember the heat wave breaks this weekend.

PH

 

[JCBrum]

Hmmm, I can't get some of mine to go into the supers. Last month one hive swarmed even though it had a super on (full of foundation, 'cause I hadn't got anything better).

I managed to catch the swarm though and put it in another hive.

Thanks Jon et al.

JC.

 

[Poly Hive]

Could you have swapped a couple of drawn frames from another colony?


did they refuse the super completely? In which case you were too late and ther minds were made up.

I super on 8 frames of brood.

PH

 

[JCBrum]

8 frames of brood sounds about right, I think that's about where they were, but I reckon they were a bit 'swarmy' by nature.

Sorry but I don't yet have any drawn super frames at all in any hive. I only started last year with a late june nuc, and then lost access to the site in the middle of september, and couldn't get my bees back till late march this year.

In April I started making hives at the rate of about one per week from second hand junk which I re-furbished using timber from skips and old pallets. I now have two sites with seven hives and some nucs.

Here's a pic of one site. All my own work !
(I'm trying an attachment ! not done that before.)

JC.

 

[BKF Admin]

did they refuse the super completely? In which case you were too late and ther minds were made up.

PH

I had that last year,no matter what I did they would not draw foundation in the super,they seemed to go past the point of no return.

In the end I split them leaving one half with no queen or queen cells and then re-united in a couple of weeks.

 

[BKF Admin]

JC I am very impressed with your hives.
A lot of love gone into them

 

[JCBrum]

JC I am very impressed with your hives.
A lot of love gone into them

And sweat and tears, not to mention a bit of blood !

Thanks Admin.

JC.

 

[JCBrum]

p.s. B&Q were selling jigsaws and routers for £15 each special offer. I don't know whether they've got any left. H. Pete kindly donated some plywood as well. Good on yer Pete. JC.

 

[Poly Hive]

Bless the forum!

PH