one super left on each hive ... what to do with it ?

[citrus]

I have 3 hives on double brood and left one super on each of them when i removed all the other supers ... these were the half filled frames ..

the idea was the ivy is out and they are still busy so was thinking they might finish a few of them but perhaps I am being greedy

should I take them off and extract them ?

.. or can I store them (freeze them as not capped) ?


basically going to be vaping the hives ... so was going to take the super off .. vape from above .. then put the super back on ... any thoughts ?

 

[Swarm]

They shouldn't need a super if they are in a double brood.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

extract if the honey is ripe, if not, nadir and let the bees take the honey up.

 

[citrus]

They shouldn't need a super if they are in a double brood.

sure the super is mine to take so was just leaving it for the indian summer we are having here.

 

[citrus]

extract if the honey is ripe, if not, nadir and let the bees take the honey up.

was a bit worried about doing the nadir if I am honest ... basically worried the bottom brood box is generally pretty stuck to the paynes floor this time of year ... so have visions of it being a bit of a mission to lift the double brood boxes out the way and stick the super underneath.

that said .. .. how long do you leave it on ... all winter ? .. in which case I only have to do that once then (this year)

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

leaving on all winter is no big deal - I usually don't remove mine until early spring

 

[citrus]

leaving on all winter is no big deal - I usually don't remove mine until early spring

ah ok ... so it the upside down junk box then

guess I was also worried about

1. queen laying in the super when she moves down ...so I end up with nice super frames being broody ones ... (have a nagging suspicion that brood frames extracted drive some of the colour of the honey)

2. when I feed them their winter feed (and with the ivy) I would end up with them using this space to store !!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

they will store the food above and around the brood as it contracts, they shouldn't need much more room - they may move down into the nadired super to make more room,
in the spring the queen will start layinng in the highest part of the brood boxes, not the lowest

 

[Swarm]

Are they paynes poly supers? The corner lugs on the floor won't allow the super to go underneath.

 

[Curly green finger's]

ah ok ... so it the upside down junk box then

guess I was also worried about

1. queen laying in the super when she moves down ...so I end up with nice super frames being broody ones ... (have a nagging suspicion that brood frames extracted drive some of the colour of the honey)

2. when I feed them their winter feed (and with the ivy) I would end up with them using this space to store !!

You could place an eke and crown board above the double brood and they will move stores down into the brood box thus no need to nadir your super
This has worked for me .

If you've more than one hole in the crown board reduce it to one

 

[pargyle]

was a bit worried about doing the nadir if I am honest ... basically worried the bottom brood box is generally pretty stuck to the paynes floor this time of year ... so have visions of it being a bit of a mission to lift the double brood boxes out the way and stick the super underneath.

that said .. .. how long do you leave it on ... all winter ? .. in which case I only have to do that once then (this year)

If it's a Paynes Poly brood box and Paynes poly floor you will have to modify the floor as the corner lugs that locate the BB to the floor won't allow the super to sit on the floor.

One of these days I'm going to get round to making something up to solve this problem .. I don't really want to cut the lugs off as I quite like the positive way they locate the BB.

 

[Swarm]

You'll have to cut the recess into your supers.

 

[Beefriendly]

Or use a wooden or Abelo poly super that just fit inside the lugs on the Paynes floors.

 

[citrus]

You could place an eke and crown board above the double brood and they will move stores down into the brood box thus no need to nadir your super
This has worked for me .

If you've more than one hole in the crown board reduce it to one

thanks for the advice all .. yes paynes poly nationals is top down an option then ?

to confirm ...

SUPER
EEK
CB
BB
BB
==

 

[Curly green finger's]

thanks for the advice all .. yes paynes poly nationals is top down an option then ?

to confirm ...

SUPER
EEK
CB
BB
BB
==

You got it Chris , what sort of cb have you got to use?
I use one with a single hole .

 

[citrus]

You got it Chris , what sort of cb have you got to use?
I use one with a single hole .

I have clear perspex ones ... but drilled a bee shaped hole in one to allow limited access to a single frame in an eke last year

.. but this is a bit of another level with a super full of half filled frames ..

will give it a shot

Some of the frames are foundationless comb so can freeze and use those myself .. so guess I still have to dummy down up there ?

 

[Curly green finger's]

I have clear perspex ones ... but drilled a bee shaped hole in one to allow limited access to a single frame in an eke last year

.. but this is a bit of another level with a super full of half filled frames ..

will give it a shot

Some of the frames are foundationless comb so can freeze and use those myself .. so guess I still have to dummy down up there ?

I would dummy down as you said .
Let me know how you get on .
Eric on here gave me the idea last year of doing the method I suggested .
Good luck
Mark.

 

[enrico]

When I get them to clean a super from above the crown board i give them two frames at a time and bruise the capped comb. They will clear the honey before the uncapped comb. They clean two frames in two to three days when I swap them for two more.
E

 

[citrus]

When I get them to clean a super from above the crown board i give them two frames at a time and bruise the capped comb. They will clear the honey before the uncapped comb. They clean two frames in two to three days when I swap them for two more.
E

so actually what I have done before now .. is just stick one super frame inside a poly eke ... there is just room for one .. but you think leaving a super with two frames (and dummy either side) is a better option ?

 

[enrico]

I would just leave the one in the eke. But that's just me! If I had loads to do I would put the whole super under the brood.
E