Honey supers

[Nbw]

Hi all
Question regarding honey supers

I have a hive which has 3 supers on. The last one added last weekend. They are doing well filling the new super frames.

What do people do when the 3rd super is full, do you harvest the full 1 or 2 boxes of supers and re-add them once harvested or do you keep adding supers on and harvest once at the end of the season?

Last year, we didn't have such a strong colony where as this year they are doing well.


Thanks

 

[Sutty]

It's horses for courses really. Many people wouldn't want the faff of extracting just one super, on the other hand you might want to extract to maintain space without buying more supers. Good reason to have several hives then one or two supers per hive makes an extraction session more worth while!

 

[Erichalfbee]

I harvest once a year in August unless I get a decent spring crop.
I don't often
Last year a couple of the hives gave me a super of Dandelion which I snaffled.
This year there is a lot of Hawthorn which to my mind is too good to mix so if it's capped I'll take it.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

buy more shallows and just keep adding them - three is seldom enough in a good season. as Dani - if the forage is something special - take it off ASAP

 

[Ian123]

Just keep adding supers….also ensure there’s enough room in the brood box or boxes..pull any honey filled frames giving space to lay!

 

[omara.steven]

Just keep adding supers….also ensure there’s enough room in the brood box or boxes..pull any honey filled frames giving space to lay!

Hi. Is it ok to extract from those honey filled frames in the Brood box?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Hi. Is it ok to extract from those honey filled frames in the Brood box?

Yes

 

[user 819]

Hi. Is it ok to extract from those honey filled frames in the Brood box?

As long as it is just only honey and not some brood as well.

 

[The Poot]

Just be mindful of the height of the hive with several supers on - be aware of the physical effort to remove a full super from a stack, say four supers tall and if a difficulty for you, remove extract and refit as you go along.

 

[blackcloud]

Bit late now but in future scan the local area for Oilseed **** fields.
If this is part of your spring crop ,as previously mentioned you have to get this extracted before it sets.
We normally only do extraction in August so we're nearly caught out by a new OsR crop this year.Just got away with it....
You can park full supers on another hive if it's getting too tall

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

You can park full supers on another hive if it's getting too tall

yep - done it a few times to balance out an apiary with the odd skyscraper - just pop the crownboard on a less productive neighbour and switch it over.

 

[Murox]

buy more shallows and just keep adding them - three is seldom enough in a good season. as Dani - if the forage is something special - take it off ASAP

I couldn't agree more, today I have had to use two spare BB's as supers - they're going to weigh a ton by next week the bramble is now coming out in ernest and we've had enough rain to give everything the boost it needs.

 

[Moody]

yep - done it a few times to balance out an apiary with the odd skyscraper - just pop the crownboard on a less productive neighbour and switch it over.

Interesting, how is this done? Do you need to clear out all the bees first (clearer board)?

 

[blackcloud]

If the super is rammed then it's probably best to clear it but if it's well capped then there'll will likely be sufficiently few enough to transfer straight across.
Stack them on top of the existing super and close off with the crownboard , simples as.
The recipient colony will guard and maintain them and just clear once when you're ready take the honey.

 

[The Poot]

If the super is rammed then it's probably best to clear it but if it's well capped then there'll will likely be sufficiently few enough to transfer straight across.
Stack them on top of the existing super and close off with the crownboard , simples as.
The recipient colony will guard and maintain them and just clear once when you're ready take the honey.

Interesting - doesn‘t it lead to fighting, or the “strangers” to the recipient colony going home and tempting robbing?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Interesting, how is this done? Do you need to clear out all the bees first (clearer board)?

no, you just move the super over. I think because bees are busy during a flow, and the fact that the majority of bees in the super are young house bees, you don't get much conflict.

 

[blackcloud]

Not had any fighting

I've found you can replenish a depleted nuc with no territorial issues whatsover by shaking off honey frames from another colony
Apideas are said to be best stocked with little 'uns too.
Valuable commodity all round...