Late Feeding of Hives

Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

Help Support Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

GravityGuy

New Bee
Joined
May 15, 2017
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Location
Leicestershire
Hive Type
None
Hi all,

I have a bit of a situation where, due to illness, I haven't been able to get to my hives since late summer. I'm now better but I'm very concerned that I can't feed my hives due to low temps at night. All of my hives still have their supers on, so my thought process was to remove all but one from each and remove the QE. Is this a viable option and if I do this do I leave the super on the top or place below the brood box? I've seen differing methods but having never left a super on before (I am normally a better beekeeper than I've been ablew to be this year) I'm not sure of the best method. My concern if I leave it above the brood box is that the queen will start to lay in it as soon as it starts to get warm in spring again.

I really would very much appreciate anyones help on this as I want to get down to them tomorrow (as it's going to be a few degrees warmer than today) and get them sorted so I don't lose them over winter.

Many thanks
Mike
 
Yes, you need to get the queen excluders off as a matter of urgency, as the bees will be wanting to move up the hive to where it is warmer, and might leave the queens behind below the QEx to freeze.

Leaving one (full) super sounds the right plan.

To my mind it is too late to leave a super under the brood box - there isn't time for the bees to rearrange their nest now, and they want honey above their cluster, not below it.

The queen will lay in the super come spring, but that's the price you pay for not inspecting since summer (not your fault I know). Next year you can get back to normal. You can get the queen out of the super fairly early on in May, with not much harm done.

The alternative would be to take all the supers off and put a ton of fondant on top of the brood box (on a queen excluder) (you can't feed syrup now, but you can certainly feed fondant). That's risky though, as they may have almost no honey in the brood box, so you might be relying purely on fondant to get them through (not only that, it would be fondant which they have had no time to move down into the combs). Which might be fine, but I would definitely leave them a super myself.
 
Last edited:
Totally agree. QE out now, Then heft hives to give you an idea of stores. I would personally leave all stores on, let them use as they would do in feral conditions. If a bad winter I would also bang a bag of fondant on the top, over the cover board. This year a write off, but at least you are recovered and the bees in situ. Just a varroa treatment, and I would Gasvap oxalic in December. Roll on Spring!
 
I also agree you need to remove the qcs.. If there is more than one super above full of stores I would leave one complete full one and remove the rest.
Come early spring I wouldn't leave it untill may that will be to late and the colony/s would be building up loads by then. If the queen has started laying in the super find her and make sure she is put in the brood box put the qx back on and the brood will then emerge in the super access the brood box for expansion a week later.
Heft through out winter if there light in February add some fondant.
In May with me we have colonys that have needed splitting Italian mongrels generally.
What type of bees do you keep?

Some of our Italian mongrels have been left a super and now have fondant also.
Good luck and it's nice to know your feeling better.

Mark.
What means of varroa treatment do you use? if your removing supers I would be inclined to either vap if you have the means or put some apivar strips in for 6 weeks now.

Tin hat on for using sublimation now..
 
Last edited:
Yes, you need to get the queen excluders off as a matter of urgency, as the bees will be wanting to move up the hive to where it is warmer, and might leave the queens behind below the QEx to freeze.
More likely to refuse to leave the queen and starve within inches of food - they won't just move up the hive chasing warmth, they will just move up as room is made by clearing stores.
Either way - get those excluders off
 
More likely to refuse to leave the queen and starve within inches of food - they won't just move up the hive chasing warmth, they will just move up as room is made by clearing stores.
Either way - get those excluders off
Talking of qxs being left on, I moved two colonys in early June both had been left for more than three seasons there was three supers on one and two on the other they were rammed full of stores and were both strong colonys.
If there was just one super left with qx still in place it might of been a different matter?
 
Talking of qxs being left on, I moved two colonys in early June both had been left for more than three seasons there was three supers on one and two on the other they were rammed full of stores and were both strong colonys.

Glad to hear you're better, GG. As already said, QX off and reduce supers to one.

Talking of QXs being left on, last autumn I was out of action and left supers and QXs on about 25 colonies. By March it hadn't made a blind bit of difference to any of them and they came out well.

These colonies were strong in late summer in the temperate South where deep cold winters are now rare. I reckon that a QX on a strong box plus reasonable temps. doesn't impair the use of stores above, but it would be a different story with smaller nests and proper cold weather.
 
Glad to hear you're better, GG. As already said, QX off and reduce supers to one.

Talking of QXs being left on, last autumn I was out of action and left supers and QXs on about 25 colonies. By March it hadn't made a blind bit of difference to any of them and they came out well.

These colonies were strong in late summer in the temperate South where deep cold winters are now rare. I reckon that a QX on a strong box plus reasonable temps. doesn't impair the use of stores above, but it would be a different story with smaller nests and proper cold weather.
Cheers Eric... I love that abbreviation good game.. Your not a gamer by any chance?
I agree about a smaller colony with qx left on.
GG..

Im a noob;)
 

Latest posts

Back
Top