part filled supers end of season

[Chris Nother]

Hi folks, I have quite a number fo supers partly capped and uncapped at the end of the season - I have Apivar strips on now. Do I extract the honey and feed it in feeders back to the bees or do I positions them near the apiary and let bees rob out? Pros and cons?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Do not have them robbed out.
You will attract every bee from miles around.
SBI has found AFB in my association training apiary a kilometre from me as the bee flies. You never know what’s out there.

 

[Erichalfbee]

You can extract and feed. Nadir or put over a reduced crownboard hole with an empty super between. Choices.

 

[enrico]

You can extract and feed. Nadir or put over a reduced crownboard hole with an empty super between. Choices.

But whatever you do do it in the evening. If you do it in the day you may start a robbing frenzy, the bees can't tell each other that the honey is in their own hive so they go looking at all the ones nearby! Whatever you do don't leave them in the open for robbing. It is unhealthy and you will regret it!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Hi folks, I have quite a number fo supers partly capped and uncapped at the end of the season - I have Apivar strips on now. Do I extract the honey and feed it in feeders back to the bees or do I positions them near the apiary and let bees rob out? Pros and cons?

The partly uncapped supers may well be fit for extraction and keeping/selling. If I waited for every super to be fully capped before extracting I'd never get my honey off.
Same goes for the wholly uncapped as well - get a refractometer and test before deciding anything. If it's only the odd frame that's unripe, or you have part filled frames with unripe honey, nadir then and leave the bees shift the honey up for winter stores - you can do that the same time as treating.

 

[Worker bee]

Keep them on take exluders off feed them to get them full leave on for winter. You have more winter stores and that will help them in the winter and to build up early. You may have to spin a few out next year replace your queen exluders and make sure queens are in brood box if the queen lays in them or just leave them on as brood n half

 

[oliver90owner]

Keep them on take exluders off feed them to get them full leave on for winter. You have more winter stores and that will help them in the winter and to build up early. You may have to spin a few out next year replace your queen exluders and make sure queens are in brood box if the queen lays in them or just leave them on as brood n half

I wouldn’t. Well, certainly not before thinking about the options! I’m like JBM, I think about it first.

First off, decide how you wish to over-winter them. If on extra-deeps (14 x 12) they are very unlikely to need more than the brood box filled with stores. If on deeps, they may only need a full brood box of stores, going into winter.

Should, perhaps, have thought ahead and concentrated any partly capped frames on strong colonies which could have capped them?

If the moisture is low enough, extract and do with it whatever you wish. What time of day did you remove the supers - it can make a large difference to the water content - think about it. Were they using the stores at the time? Did you do a ‘shake test’? Do you have a refractometer?

If not intending feeding sugar syrup, the boxes could be placed under the brood boxes (with time for the bees to move the stores up, before clustering).

If you extract and the water content is marginal, it could be dried (see other posts on this), used for making mead, or feed back to the bees. It will not ferment if stored in the freezer, so could be kept for either self consumption, or other use, later.

Enough to think about? Might be more options for your particular situation. It is only the beginning of September, after all.

 

[Into the lions den]

Part filled supers do not have honey in them that is in any way inferior to that in filled supers. You did say part filled at seasons end...a world of a difference from part filled during a flow. Should be properly ripened.

Extract and use just as normal.

Feed back? Its higher risk than clean feeding for reasons already stated by others.....and it is more than 10 times the value of syrup.....a couple of pounds of it per hive pays for the winter feed bill.

Assuming of course that I have read correctly and the supers were removed PRIOR to placing varroacides. If not then you have an issue and the above advice is invalid.

 

[Worker bee]

I wouldn’t. Well, certainly not before thinking about the options! I’m like JBM, I think about it first.

First off, decide how you wish to over-winter them. If on extra-deeps (14 x 12) they are very unlikely to need more than the brood box filled with stores. If on deeps, they may only need a full brood box of stores, going into winter.

Should, perhaps, have thought ahead and concentrated any partly capped frames on strong colonies which could have capped them?

If the moisture is low enough, extract and do with it whatever you wish. What time of day did you remove the supers - it can make a large difference to the water content - think about it. Were they using the stores at the time? Did you do a ‘shake test’? Do you have a refractometer?

If not intending feeding sugar syrup, the boxes could be placed under the brood boxes (with time for the bees to move the stores up, before clustering).

If you extract and the water content is marginal, it could be dried (see other posts on this), used for making mead, or feed back to the bees. It will not ferment if stored in the freezer, so could be kept for either self consumption, or other use, later.

Enough to think about? Might be more options for your particular situation. It is only the beginning of September, after all.

The mead idea sounds the best it's got my vote

 

[Swarm]

Spin it off. Leaving frames to be robbed and open feeding are frowned upon.
Sadly there's always the ones who still do it regardless.

 

[Chris Nother]

It's all around 25% moisture content and all frames in about six supers are either full and a little capped whereas others are a quarter full or thereabouts and not caped at all. I extracted all uncapped honey that was 19% or less but didn't want to take the risk. I think I will either extract and feed back or pop over the crown board with a super between in the same way I would get extracted frames cleaned up. We seem to have this long trickle flow going on here so I want to be sure they will take the honey down and not try to use the frames to store more honey. Next year I will not do final harvest till much later but my choices are being driven by the fact I have Apivar on already. It's my second season so I am learning to gauge the season where we live which is unusual given the vast array of wild flowers but also many keen gardeners in the area with exotic/unusual plants and trees - some of which are being mobbed by the bees this year and barely touched last year at this time of the season. Incidentally, Apivar makers say it's OK to have the strips on while feeding but not to apply during a honey flow - any comments on the essential difference between a flow and feeding in terms of impact with Apivar strips on? Thanks for all comment so far - great to triangulate the various nuggets of wisdom and experience!

 

[Chris Nother]

Spin it off. Leaving frames to be robbed and open feeding are frowned upon.
Sadly there's always the ones who still do it regardless.

Steve - would you then feed via feeders rather than place above crown board approach?

 

[Swarm]

I would probably do suspect supers last, then test the water content. A couple of days in a warming cabinet should sort it for home use if nothing else.
I don't like putting nectar/honey in feeders because it can cause chaos. If you are giving it back, I'd go above a CB on top of an empty super, a few frames at a time.
Time is ticking though regarding treatment but as you already have Apivar on, I would spin it out and see how much water you can drive out. I wouldn't want my honey supers on during Apivar treatment even if only being cleaned.

 

[Chris Nother]

I would probably do suspect supers last, then test the water content. A couple of days in a warming cabinet should sort it for home use if nothing else.
I don't like putting nectar/honey in feeders because it can cause chaos. If you are giving it back, I'd go above a CB on top of an empty super, a few frames at a time.
Time is ticking though regarding treatment but as you already have Apivar on, I would spin it out and see how much water you can drive out. I wouldn't want my honey supers on during Apivar treatment even if only being cleaned.

Thanks Steve - you've hit on two of my concerns - supers on for cleaning with Apivar on not being a good idea and the chaos that feeding honey might create. Don't have a warming cabinet but I do have a huge freezer with some space in it - might just cling film the frames and fees them and pop them on next Spring! Daft idea? Sounds like you'd promote feeding syrup over honey? I could read up on nadiring too I guess!

 

[Chris Nother]

Thanks Steve - you've hit on two of my concerns - supers on for cleaning with Apivar on not being a good idea and the chaos that feeding honey might create. Don't have a warming cabinet but I do have a huge freezer with some space in it - might just cling film the frames and fees them and pop them on next Spring! Daft idea? Sounds like you'd promote feeding syrup over honey? I could read up on nadiring too I guess!

freeze* them even! Nadiring still an issue with Apivar on I guess.....

 

[enrico]

I have found that spinning off wet honey and feeding back in a rapid feeder is a good way to use it. It has caused no problems. No robbing if done n the evening, I give it back to the hive it came from. It saves any nadiring and is easier than letting them Rob out the frames. It takes them a week to empty a rapid feeder. At least if you do it when you have the correct boxes set up for winter you know it is going in the right place!

 

[Chris Nother]

I have found that spinning off wet honey and feeding back in a rapid feeder is a good way to use it. It has caused no problems. No robbing if done n the evening, I give it back to the hive it came from. It saves any nadiring and is easier than letting them Rob out the frames. It takes them a week to empty a rapid feeder. At least if you do it when you have the correct boxes set up for winter you know it is going in the right place!

Thanks for that - now if only I could identify which supers came from which hive!

 

[enrico]

Thanks for that - now if only I could identify which supers came from which hive!

To be honest, if they are all in the same apiary and you are happy about the health of your bees it doesn't really matter!

 

[oliver90owner]

freeze* them even! Nadiring still an issue with Apivar on I guess.....

You can edit your (recent) posts. I(have to) doit all the time.

Edited to add that it seems you may have taken off a considerable amount of nectar, when you removed those supers.