hives bursting at the seams

[mattyo]

both my hives are still very busy
They are on 12x14s and have almost filled it with stores they have also filled a super in the last couple of weeks and are now bursting at the seams

Do i put another super on or hope they slow down soon

 

[kighill]

If you have a drawn super put it on, if they fill it you can leave it under the brood box for winter although with a full 14 by 12 they ought not need it.

 

[pargyle]

both my hives are still very busy
They are on 12x14s and have almost filled it with stores they have also filled a super in the last couple of weeks and are now bursting at the seams

Do i put another super on or hope they slow down soon

If the 14 x 12 brood box is full of stores they should have enough in that alone to see them through winter ... I'd be inclined to put the filled super under the brood box (nadir) and get some insulation on the top of the hive and leave them to it now.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Ditto.
All mine are tucked up for the winter now.
I put a last Apilfe on one colony (I know it's late) and the box was stuffed with brood and bees.

 

[oliver90owner]

'Almost' is not full, so not really 'bursting at the seams' yet?

Why not exchange a couple of empty shallow frames for ones that are capped? End of problem as it can be repeated if necessary. Simple, sensible move when they are full and the weather is still holding up. Simply replace if weather closes in for winter.

I would generally remove a fully capped super from a 14 x 12 as it is not necessary in most winters. Nadiring it is likely a waste as they would likely just shower it with carp all winter and leaving it as a super would likely mean loads of full 14 x 12 frames blocking the brood box in the spring. 20kg is usually sufficient for overwintering and you have....how much?

Now, what you do with that honey may be a problem, if it is predominantly ivy. Such are the challenges of keeping bees.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Ditto.

All mine are tucked up for the winter now.

I put a last Apilfe on one colony (I know it's late) and the box was stuffed with brood and bees.

Mine definitely have their eye on a long season hence short winter.

 

[REDWOOD]

Just remember a BB full of bees will soon consume stores if the weather turns, don't take your eye off the ball and heft your hives regularly

 

[itma]

Just remember a BB full of bees will soon consume stores if the weather turns, don't take your eye off the ball and DO heft your hives regularly

Clarified, I hope!

Yes, the bigger the colony, the faster they will chew through their stores if they are confined to barracks but not chilled down … and many colonies seem to still be pretty large.

 

[REDWOOD]

It amazes me why new beekeepers don't feel confident in hefting when they have been sticking their hive tool below two full supers all year and feeling the weight, it's as simple as that, just put your hive tool between the floor and BB and if it feels like its stuck down it's pretty much full and if it takes little effort to lift it's getting light.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Ditto.
All mine are tucked up for the winter now.
I put a last Apilfe on one colony (I know it's late) and the box was stuffed with brood and bees.

Brood!!!!!
I meant food.
Brood.....I haven't a clue.

 

[kazmcc]

It amazes me why new beekeepers don't feel confident in hefting when they have been sticking their hive tool below two full supers all year and feeling the weight, it's as simple as that, just put your hive tool between the floor and BB and if it feels like its stuck down it's pretty much full and if it takes little effort to lift it's getting light.

Never thought of it that way! Of course! Thanks for that tip.

 

[mattyo]

Thanks for the reply's i think i will put on another super

To clarify the 12x14 is full off bees and they have put a lot of stores in certainly enough for a normal winter in addition they have also filled a super and are now bursting for more room and yesterday they were all out flying

 

[itma]

Thanks for the reply's i think i will put on another super

To clarify the 12x14 is full off bees and they have put a lot of stores in certainly enough for a normal winter in addition they have also filled a super and are now bursting for more room and yesterday they were all out flying

Don't put another empty box on top!


A better route would be to put your extra box UNDER the brood (no Queen Excluder). Search the forum for the word 'nadir'.
Unless you are VERY strong, you should enlist some help to lift the well-filled 14x12 brood box. They are heavy.

I would suggest harvesting your full super if it is capped. Put a clearing board under it (above the brood) to empty it of bees.
Since much of the honey will likely be from Ivy, you should extract it asap after removing it from the hive. My suggestion would be that you keep it in a small honey bucket, jarring only a couple of jars for personal tasting and watching the state of crystallisation.
Ivy honey tastes better after it has been stored for a while.

If your super is uncapped, you have two principal options (no need to clear it first). Firstly to nadir it (I'd put it directly under the brood) so the bees will concentrate it for storage as they move it up into the brood box before winter. The second option would be to extract it, and store the too-wet honey in the freezer until you have the opportunity to feed it back to the bees (freezing should prevent fermentation).
A third option would be to make mead - but I'm not sure Ivy honey would be the best starting point!

If the super is uncapped and you nadir it then its your call as to whether a second nadir (below it) is really needed.

But sticking an extra super on top, in mid-October (even in tropical Somerset) is unlikely to be the best plan.