Over or under ?

[For want of a better word]

SWMBO has returned from the school run with the news from one of the yummie mummies that we are not keeping our bees properly......

"You have left 2 supers of stores on top of some of your hives and that will stop the bees from hibernating overwinter and they will all die!"

One super is for stores, the other an eke for the feeder (coming off this week)

Knowing someone else who attended the same (LA) beekeeping course this year, ( but not yet started keeping) I just have asked him what doctrine had been wheeled out at the lectures on this matter... he said yes she is right stores must go under the brood for winter.

Just answer.... UNDER or OVER !

 

[oliver90owner]

stores must go under the brood for winter.



Better to answer the underlined statement: That is most certainly WRONG. I most certainly take issue with the word 'must' and, anyway, I always left the stores in the natural place bees leave it - above the broodnest!

 

[jakethedog]

SWMBO can debate this all she likes but I doubt she'll get through to her friend.Hard and fast doctrine is always a problem but not so much as the inability of some people to think for themselves.

Where do bees normally store honey? This is as good a starting place as any. The only real issue -which is nothing to do with the information that she's been indoctrinated with- is that the top box is where the first brood will probably be, which if you don't want brood in your super could be a minor problemm, but if you get in there and switch the boxes early enough the bees will sort that one themselves.

 

[Luminos]

What's a yummie mummie

 

[drstitson]

i always thought "yummy mummy" and Cornwall were mutually exclusive. Or is that just the lower end of the Tamar.

 

[JamezF]

Can't you just tell her it's wrong because bees don't hibernate?

James

 

[JamezF]

i always thought "yummy mummy" and Cornwall were mutually exclusive. Or is that just the lower end of the Tamar.

Deary me. Come the revolution you'll be first down the tin mines

James

 

[Hebeegeebee]

What's a yummie mummie

An attractive female parent.

 

[northernsoul]

Super under and brood box at top though I doubt your bees will die

 

[Hebeegeebee]

I chose to put a super under the brood. It's not a necessity.

It's not a necessity to take away the queen excluder if above the brood chamber but adviseable and will improve the chances of survival.

Plenty of colonies go through the winter with a queen excluder over the brood chamber and come through OK although I would not recommend it.

To answer the original question Under or Over? Yes. One of the two.

(Unless you leave them with just one full brood chamber - that's three answers and all will most likley work!

 

[For want of a better word]

The question was

should a super FULL OF STORES go below or above the Brood Box over winter?

Just answer.... UNDER or OVER !

Some put an empty super to eke the BB above an OMF but that was not the question

 

[Drew]

The question was

should a super FULL OF STORES go below or above the Brood Box over winter?

Just answer.... UNDER or OVER !

Some put an empty super to eke the BB above an OMF but that was not the question

(I put mine) UNDER

HTH

 

[JamezF]

On an OMF I'd probably put the super on top on the grounds that it should be warmer at the top, the bees will presumably prefer to be there in the first place rather than down at the bottom in the cold, it's easier to see what you're doing when treating with oxalic acid and if for some strange reason they need additional feeding they'll be in the right place to take fondant or syrup without opening the hive.

Why do you put yours under, Drew?

James

 

[jakethedog]

Just answer.... UNDER or OVER !

"...my words be as sweet as honey..."

don't know, I'd add a spoonful of sugar if I was you

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Always go over around here - seems to work anyway - but remember to take the queen excluder away as one of two things may happen - the cluster will move up into the super and leave the queen below therefore she may chill and die or the cluster will refuse to move without the queen and they may all die of starvation within sight of stores.

 

[Luminos]

an attractive female parent.

o i c

 

[Red Bee]

Get yourself a 14x12 hive then you need not worry over or under!

 

[Swarm]

Isn't the idea of under, that the bees find this not to their liking and naturally move the stores up into the BB?

Jenkinsbrynmair,
Same in these parts, I normally super over but have decided to try under this year because the super has never been touched.

 

[Finman]

.
Wrong or right.

Only right answer is that before feeding, put brood frames lowest. If you have ready capped winterfood, put itover the brood.

No doubt about that. Of course you may do what ever.

i have done this atumn so that when I have capped honey box, I have shaked bees into the box that they have not too much space.

 

[Finman]

Isn't the idea of under, that the bees find this not to their liking and naturally move the stores up into the BB?

Jenkinsbrynmair,
Same in these parts, I normally super over but have decided to try under this year because the super has never been touched.

= too much space and too much food.