How many supers to remove for extraction at once?

[Queen Brenda]

First year.......we have National hive and at least 2 supers ready for extraction. Extractor booked for Sunday. 2 weeks ago we added a new, 3rd super box with a mix of drawn and fresh foundation and were amazed to find it full and largely capped 7 days later. It's London, been hot and forage everywhere. If, when we go in to clear the supers on Saturday, we find the 3 rd super is indeed ready, should we leave it or extract it too? We have another super with a mix of drawn and new foundation ready to put on and would add this when we go in with the bee escapes. We are then planning to put the wet, extracted frames back same day as extraction. It's a thriving colony on brood and a half, with some stores in the brood frames.

I don't want to be greedy or leave them with too much to do or too little space.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I'd extract all three (if you can get all of the bees down out of there) just make sure you have plenty of space afterwards.

 

[Swarm]

I'd extract all three (if you can get all of the bees down out of there) just make sure you have plenty of space afterwards.

 

[enrico]

I agree except that I would add each wet super separately, remove it using bee escapes into the next one you want cleaning otherwise you will find they start using the centre frames in all of them again! That way you are getting them to clean them properly without using them again!
E

 

[Finman]

.
When I have several boxes capped, difficulty is then, are nectar flows so big that bees can fill and cap combs again? - If not, then I have 3 boxes uncapped honey when yield season is over.

But if hive has 3 boxes capped honey, it is really time to extract them that hive get free combs.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I agree except that I would add each wet super separately, remove it using bee escapes into the next one you want cleaning otherwise you will find they start using the centre frames in all of them again! That way you are getting them to clean them properly without using them again!
E

Can't quite imagine that...Can you explain what you do......? Please

 

[YorkshireBees]

Can't quite imagine that...Can you explain what you do......? Please

Made sense to me!!?

 

[Swarm]

Yep, add wet super under the one they have cleaned with a clearer board between.

 

[enrico]

Can't quite imagine that...Can you explain what you do......? Please

Put wet super on for 24 hours and they clean it, put clearer board under that super and put next wet super on under clearer board. Repeat until all supers are cleaned, free of bees and removed.
Just save them starting to fill all the supers again!
E

 

[Erichalfbee]

Aha....now I see. Was having a daft day. Blame the bees. They have been a real challenge this year. I might try that. I stored my supers wet in the bee room last year and by the time I had them all on the room smelt a little like a mead brewery.