Larvae in Super

[Nick Sonic]

Hi all, I decided to not use my QX since it seemed like they (potentially) caused as many problems as they (potentially) solved. I've found some larvae in the one super i've got on my hive so is it as simple as just adding the QX?

There are a few frames still to be drawn in the brood box so there's plenty of room...

 

[JWF]

Hi all, I decided to not use my QE since it seemed like they (potentially) caused as many problems as they (potentially) solved. I've found some larvae in the one super i've got on my hive so is it as simple as just adding the QE?

There are a few frames still to be drawn in the brood box so there's plenty of room...

If you do put in a QX now, you'll need to make sure the queen is on the right side of it! As there doesn't seem to be much flow on at the moment, you'll need to consider feeding them, especially if there's still undrawn frames in the BB.

 

[Nick Sonic]

I started to feed them a few weeks ago with a frame feeder since they hadn't drawn all the frames in the brood box and given the weather was so poor. I then added a super about 10 days ago to ensure they had plenty of room and this has started to be drawn and stores added.

There are plenty of larvae and capped brood in the brood box and activity has definitely increased so hopefully with continued feeding they'll draw the rest of the frames.

 

[GlenJ]

I definitely wouldn't put the QE in now. Just let them get on with it as they see fit. I would put the super under the brood box when you are finally shutting them up for the winter. That way it will be empty in the spring and you can put it over the brood box with the QE between if you want to keep it "tidy" for honey stores.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Hi all, I decided to not use my QX since it seemed like they (potentially) caused as many problems as they (potentially) solved. I've found some larvae in the one super i've got on my hive so is it as simple as just adding the QX?

There are a few frames still to be drawn in the brood box so there's plenty of room...

As ye sow, so shall ye reap

Subject to the local conditions and the state of your colony, you can put a q/e in now but you must find your queen and ensure she is in the brood box when you do. The brood in the super will naturally progress to turn into bees and the comb will empty to become available for honey storage. Some keepers don't like to use honey from comb that has held brood but it's a personal thing.

 

[Nick Sonic]

Thanks for the advice, since my hive's in its first year I think I'll leave the QX and follow GlenJ's suggestion about super postitioning.

 

[Davelin]

If your hive is in its first year, and the brood box is not fully drawn, why did you decide to add a super in the first place?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If your hive is in its first year, and the brood box is not fully drawn, why did you decide to add a super in the first place?

Just thinking the same - if they hadn't drawn the brood box they obviously didn't need the space
- all they've done now is chimneyed upwards instead of working outwards I would nadir the shallow now, leave them sort themselves out then get everything back to normal in the spring

 

[Nick Sonic]

If your hive is in its first year, and the brood box is not fully drawn, why did you decide to add a super in the first place?

After putting my 5 frame nuc in the brood box I started to feed them but then was advised against this on the basis that they could swarm if they ran out of room.

A month or so later their drawing had slowed right down and the weather was rubbish so I started to feed again; remembering the initial advice about them not having enough space I added the super on later.

Obviously I stopped feeding too early initially.

 

[GlenJ]

After putting my 5 frame nuc in the brood box I started to feed them but then was advised against this on the basis that they could swarm if they ran out of room.

A month or so later their drawing had slowed right down and the weather was rubbish so I started to feed again; remembering the initial advice about them not having enough space I added the super on later.

Obviously I stopped feeding too early initially.

Don't worry about it - you are going to make a lot of bad calls in the future and deal with the consequences - then you can call yourself a beekeeper! One thing though, don't accept what's going on 1/2 mile down the road as being the same for your own bees, they are different when 3ft apart - get to know your own bees!

 

[BeeJayBee]

Obviously I stopped feeding too early initially.

Not necessarily, because if the weather hadn't turned bad they would have been able to get out to collect nectar.

I think about the same as JBM - they may have stopped drawing brood frames because it was too cold towards the outside of the box. The heat will have channelled upwards from the central frames, where the brood was, so they built more comb in the super you put on top.

To help them conserve heat it's worth adding some insulation between the crown board and the roof.