Pollen in the supers. Is this a problem?

[Father Fox]

Just wondering if, and why having pollen in the supers is considered a problem?

 

[Davelin]

Not really, you often get the odd cell full of pollen in a super. It doesn't tend to come out in extraction in my experience and if you put the supers back on to clean them it may be removed.
It can go mouldy if left in over winter, but bees are pretty good at cleaning supers before use. I have scraped out mouldy pollen if there is a lot.
Shouldn't get huge amounts in the super as they usually store it right next to the brood.

 

[enrico]

No problem at all. Good for you!
E

 

[Father Fox]

Thankyou.

I suppose then that because pollen in your diet is good for you, then pollen in the supers is no problem from the honey point of view; it might just be difficult to extract from the frames and could go mouldy in the cells over time if not cleaned by the bees before storing the supers overwinter?

 

[Swarm]

If it goes mouldy they'll remove it.

 

[alanf]

Inconvenience for the beekeeper, rather than a problem. It's taking up cells that could be full of honey.

 

[Cazza]

I take it as a message that there is not enough room in the BB and you may need another one.
Cazza

 

[Father Fox]

Pollen in supers = reason to have a double brood box

Is this one of the reasons that many with normal sized national hives run a double brood box system? Is pollen in the supers then not a problem? Also not a problem with the larger 14x12 national broods or langstroth hives?
Are there any other benefits for running a double brood box system with national hives?

 

[davnig]

Is this one of the reasons that many with normal sized national hives run a double brood box system? Is pollen in the supers then not a problem? Also not a problem with the larger 14x12 national broods or langstroth hives?
Are there any other benefits for running a double brood box system with national hives?

I've had pollen in a super even with 14x12 brood so not necessarily true

 

[Cazza]

Is this one of the reasons that many with normal sized national hives run a double brood box system? Is pollen in the supers then not a problem? Also not a problem with the larger 14x12 national broods or langstroth hives?
Are there any other benefits for running a double brood box system with national hives?

I use double brood and then don't have pollen in the supers. Double brood used because single is not big enough for some of my colonies. (Can't lift 14x12s so don't use them.))
Cazza

 

[Arfermo]

Just wondering if, and why having pollen in the supers is considered a problem?

Is it? Who told you that. Quite often happens imho.

 

[YorkshireBees]

Pollen in honey is a benefit as far as I am concerned. A small amount of pollen in honey helps people that take local honey to help with hay fever.

The only downside may be that those filtering runny honey for show etc. may need to filter more.

 

[Finman]

.
I do not use excluder and I need to use 3 langstroth brood boxes, The lowest box is normally full of pollen after July and bees rear winter bees with that pollen storage.

Bees store pollen near the brood area and in colder frames of the hive sides
Pollen store are very necessary to bees that they can feed themselvess over rainy and cold weeks even in summer.

If hive does not have enough pollen stores, bees eate their open larvae. That is usual during spring.

When bees have a place to pollen, they do not store it into supers.

If you have pollen in frames what you do not want, use them as brood frames, bees eate pollen away and then comb can be used again for honey .

In honey frames pollen is a nuisance because in extracting the frames are not in balance.

 

[StevenHart]

I use double brood and then don't have pollen in the supers.

I'm also on double brood, but the first super (from one hive only) is absolutely packed with pollen. Only found out last weekend when I removed a super from each of my hives to extract - bit of a shock really.

Now I'm just wondering what to do with it?

 

[YorkshireBees]

I'm also on double brood, but the first super (from one hive only) is absolutely packed with pollen. Only found out last weekend when I removed a super from each of my hives to extract - bit of a shock really.

Now I'm just wondering what to do with it?

Extract any honey and give them the super back with the pollen!

There has been quite a good amount of Spring pollen available this year (at least in my area) and a lot of my colonies are bursting with it. I also has a few super frames that were 80% pollen.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Extract any honey and give them the super back with the pollen!

.

That's just what I have done.