Is it too late to feed to drawn out comb?

[Levitt53]

Hi, I'm advising a friend who started beekeeping in June. I gave her a nuc with a queen from my stock and they have built up nicely. The brood box was packed with bees and they had started to started to store honey in a lovely arc above the brood. We put the super on in the summer to give them more space but they never drew it out. In the middle of August I advised her to feed them a week sugar solution with an aim for them to draw out the super frames and then we could put it underneath the brood box as it would be unlikely that they would fill it with honey before the winter. They have now drawn out half of the frames and filled 3 of them with ivy honey. I'm now thinking not to nadir this amount of honey and maybe I should just give her some of my drawn comb as there is plenty of ivy about here and the weather forecast is good so hopefully they might fill it.

Is it worth still feeding them with a weak solution or is it too late to expect them to draw out comb?

 

[Murox]

Whats in the brood box in the way of stores? you'll need around 8 full of stores for winter and loads of bees. Drawing super frames now is not a priority, preparing for overwintering is, syrup should be 'heavy' now really. Light takes too long to convert to stores. Assess stores in the brood box, feed and treat accordingly, consolidate. If the ivy flow is good you may not need to feed. You can set the hive up so they 'rob' their own super and take it down. Threads on the forum describe how.

 

[Levitt53]

There is plenty of food in the brood box. We were feeding to draw out the frames so they could use it either to store the ivy that is pouring in or to nadir to use for brood if necessary. I know they don't store it and that wasn't the aim. My question is it it too late for them to draw comb.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

there is this mistaken belief that the bees need and will only draw comb on thin syrup and feeding them 1:1 will catalyse them to draw comb. if there is a flow on, there is no need to feed them syrup whether 1: or 2:1,if they want to draw comb they will, just as well on thick syrup.
I don't see why there's a need for a drawn super - you need them to close down for winter

 

[user 819]

A good nectar flow draws out comb the best and quickest, now is not the time to use their resources and energy to do so. Wait till the spring & early summer flows for drawn.

 

[pargyle]

there is this mistaken belief that the bees need and will only draw comb on thin syrup and feeding them 1:1 will catalyse them to draw comb. if there is a flow on, there is no need to feed them syrup whether 1: or 2:1,if they want to draw comb they will, just as well on thick syrup.
I don't see why there's a need for a drawn super - you need them to close down for winter

I think it was Murray McGregor that said that a good time to get brood frames drawn is when you are feeding into September - I've certainly done it and it works. Can't see any benefit in trying to get super frames drawn at this time of the year though ...mine are guzzling down Invertbee like it's going out of fashion.

 

[Ian123]

Bees will draw comb this time of year and indeed much later….simple question though why bother. Remove the super it’s dead space and start feeding so they pack out the brood.

 

[Levitt53]

We wanted to draw the super out as the brood box is bursting with bees and we wanted to nadir it so give them more room if needed below. It was half drawn and we've nadired it now and will leave them alone. The colony has been building up since it was a nuc in June so they have plenty of stores so this was not to feed them winter stores just to get the super drawn out for space underneath as necessary.

 

[ericbeaumont]

brood box is bursting with bees

Yes, but laying will have declined and some of those are summer bees which will die in autumn, so by winter the colony will be strong but need no more space. No harm in nadiring as you have done.

 

[madasafish]

Your hive may be full of bees now but as Q laying diminishes and shorted days come, the bees numbers will decline.

 

[drex]

As Ian above. Take it off. A box of half drawn shallows in the coldest part of the nest, will not get drawn any further now, and will have all those dirty feet walking through it, all winter. A nuc in June likely to only need a single BB over winter. Let the number of bees dictate the space given.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Let the number of bees dictate the space given.

Sound advice!