How to prep a hive for 3 weeks without inspection?

[noumenon]

My first year of beekeeping and I have a nuc in a national doing very well. I'm heading overseas for three weeks and the person who was going to inspect the hive weekly may not be able to do it. So I am keen to have a plan B.

At the current rate of expansion, the bees will have drawn filled the brood box and be out of space around the time I return. Though I understand that nectar flow is due to tail off soon. Obviously I want to keep them happy, well fed and not swarming. So, a few options I can think of:

(a) remove outer frames of drawn but unfilled comb and replace with foundation only - giving them a little more work to do, but losing a little unripe honey stores in the process
(b) add a super - potentially too large a space, but again should keep them busy
(c) add a super and feed syrup - again lots of space and work, but also hedges against nectar flow tailing off but with the downside of potentially storing syrup in supers (I'm not harvesting, so it can be stores for another day)
(d) something else?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It's getting to the time of year where most people don't go into their hives every week. I haven't for over a fortnight, and I doubt I'll go through many of them now until Mid August. Colonies are already starting to slow down

 

[drex]

You are worried about lack of space, so give them more. Giving too much space at this time of year is not really a concern. How you add space is up to you. Taking out drawn frames and giving foundation is not really adding space. It is only use able space once they have drawn it.
How many frames of brood at last inspection?

 

[ericbeaumont]

something else?

Reduce entrances to one or two bee spaces.

 

[noumenon]

Many thanks for the posts. I still have the reduced entrance in place since they were transferred as a nuc, they never need to queue, so it was ok to keep it.

Today they have 5 frames of brood, 2.5 of capped honey, 2 of drawn comb with unripe honey, 0.5 drawing and 1 of foundation. That's up by 0.5 brood and 2 of honey frames in 8 days.

I've added a super of foundation, just in case the nectar flow keeps going!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Hi ahead and don’t worry. They are probably better off not being inspected at all ……… so silver linings.
Anywhere exotic?

 

[noumenon]

Off to see family in Australia. =)

 

[Erichalfbee]

3 weeks? You need 3 months.
Bon voyage

 

[noumenon]

I'm back and the hive has done very well. I did put on a super just in case. In the three weeks of nice weather, they've added another half frame of brood and filed out most of the rest of the brood frames with honey. They've also started pulling out a couple of frames of the super.