Is it to early to put on a super

[Liam C Ryan]

Had a first look at my strong hive today, 19c at the apiary, all frames just about full with stores or brood. Is it to early to put on a super or would I just replace two frames with one drawn and one undrawn frame. Has anybody around Tipperary put on a super yet. Weather is very good and bees are bringing in lots of nectar and pollen . I know we might still get cold weather before April is gone.
Regards
Liam C

 

[BCBEE]

Hi
I put a super on at the weekend after carrying out my first inspection of the year. The box was tuffed with bees and had good stores of pollen nectar and brood at all stages which surprised me as 2011 was my first year and things didnt go they way i planned but do they ever so no if you thing its needed then do it.

 

[Haughton Honey]

You might like to consider putting a super on above a QX and an 'open' crown board (i.e. the hole in the board is left open) for a couple of weeks.

That way, if a nectar flow occurs then the bees at least have access to the super without you creating too much volume to keep warm.

I would almost certainly do this if you have wet supers from last season hanging about as the bees will clean them up.

 

[Poly Hive]

Not wanting to be a bucket of cold water but...

Hives stuffed full of brood and stores. Well ok that's great but not very informative.

The way to judge the strength of a colony is the number of frames of brood.

If you want a number to go by FWIW I super on at least 8 well covered frames of brood.

The forecast for this weekend is back to normal so adding considerable extra space needs careful consideration.

PH

 

[Winker]

Not wanting to be a bucket of cold water but...

Hives stuffed full of brood and stores. Well ok that's great but not very informative.

The way to judge the strength of a colony is the number of frames of brood.

If you want a number to go by FWIW I super on at least 8 well covered frames of brood.

The forecast for this weekend is back to normal so adding considerable extra space needs careful consideration.

PH

While i agree with PH and what he says about 8 frames of brood, I put a super on one of mine 3 days ago as they were starting to fill up the brood area with nectar. They had 4 frames of food so i took one frame out and place a new frame of foundation and QX on the BB then super on top.

Had a wee peek today and 4 of the super frames are full of nectar and the new frame in the BB is almost fully drawn.

Had i not gave them more room, they would have contintued to fill the BB with nectar

 

[Poly Hive]

Being a bucket of water again...

Nectar reduces roughly 3:1 and normal temps are returning.

Your call but I wouldn't, not yet...

PH

 

[Winker]

Being a bucket of water again...

Nectar reduces roughly 3:1 and normal temps are returning.

Your call but I wouldn't, not yet...

PH

I hear your words of wisdom, and i hope have made the correct call. That said the OSR behind my house is within a week of starting to bloom.

 

[the naked beekeeper]

Being a bucket of water again...

Nectar reduces roughly 3:1 and normal temps are returning.

Your call but I wouldn't, not yet...

PH

Chicken and egg thing isn't it.

Nectar may well reduce 3:1...but they need that '3' (space) initially in order to store it. So even though it eventuallly takes up much less space, it does need it to begin with.

All depends on the flows around.
Dandelions, Willow and OSR may well be producing or starting to produce a lot of nectar in some areas.

 

[chrischris]

Into my third year as a beekeeper so not that experienced, have inspected all my hives today (6) 1 hive brood over 9 frames and drone cells sealed drone cells present, super over Q excluder 75% full some capped bees between all seams, have added a further super, 2nd hive brood over 8 frames with a super 50% filled, other 4 hives all about the same, brood over 5/6 frames, have fed all my hives with fondant over winter, have not given anything for the past 2 weeks. I did leave all my hives with a super over a Q excluder all winter and did the same last year, each super was about %50 full going into winter. The point I would make is that the decision to super up is a personel one in relation to the strength of the hive and, if you think the bees need more room, I am expecting Q cells on 2 of my hives in the next week or so and will be ready to take action, spring is early this year and the rape around me has started flowering.

Cheers Chris

 

[Poly Hive]

I have nectar in my combs.

OSR is in this area in some fields popping out.

I still would not super yet, not until this cold snap is over at least from the weekend. It's only March yet, and the weather is going to play tricks...

PH

 

[enrico]

It snowed last April.!!

 

[Hivemaker.]

It snowed last April.!!

I never noticed that.

 

[Poly Hive]

Been known to snow in June in Aberdeenshire but not I suspect in sunny Devon.

PH

 

[bellabee]

Hello,

I have a brood and a half with a QX on top, on inspection yesterday they seem to be filling up fast, grubs up to the top! Advice on putting on a super with some wet frames and drawn frames on top with an open crown board on top to the QX to keep the warmth in. We also have a super mostly full of last years ivy honey, could we put that on top?

Thanks

 

[Erichalfbee]

It all comes down to how many bees you have and how many frames of brood.
I looked into one 14x12 last week for the first time and they had brood on four frames (NOT 4 frames of brood)

Six days later there are seven frames of capped brood,and two frames of grubs and eggs;surprisingly only thirty or forty drone cells.

It's going to get colder in the next few day but if I don't do something.......................
I've put on a wet super..........