Second super

[jimthebee]

Right folks sorry if this has been done to death but i cant find a thread.

I have read some of the advice regarding adding additional supers and have taken on board where to put it. The majority think below.

Although i have just read that if its underneath this may upset them and the possibility of swarming increases ?

First Newbee question,

when is the best time to add a second super,
mine will be foundation only as I have no drawn comb to put in.
I have 10 frames in super 1, ( not capped but the bees seem to be working on at least 6 of them, from the middle out. Drawn foundation and honey in the middle and a gradual increase in work from the center outwards.)

Second question,
why dont we just replace the full frames as and when they get capped with empty ones/foundation. Surely this would make life easier?
just keep replacing frames as and when using 1 super?

thank you very much in advance.
Jim

 

[VEG]

imagine having 100's of hives how often and how many trips would you have to make to remove those single frames that were full.

 

[jimthebee]

True, i only have 1 hive though, would this be a feasible option ?

 

[VEG]

easier to get a few more supers as less intrusion for the bees.

 

[sugarbush]

when is the best time to add a second super,
mine will be foundation only as I have no drawn comb to put in.
I have 10 frames in super 1, ( not capped but the bees seem to be working on at least 6 of them, from the middle out. Drawn foundation and honey in the middle and a gradual increase in work from the center outwards.)

Best time to add a second is when the first in starting to get capped. If you only have foundation you can pull half of the drawn frames out of the first super and checkerboard them into the new between the frames with foundation. this will act as a guide to the bees and encourage them to drawl out the foundation.

Second question,
why dont we just replace the full frames as and when they get capped with empty ones/foundation. Surely this would make life easier?
just keep replacing frames as and when using 1 super?

thank you very much in advance.
Jim

You can do that, it is a good way to end up with very diverse honey crops and it is a good way to manage your hives with less equipment and money invested. This is actually my preferred method, it just doesn't work for commercial producers because they want to do all their extracting at once.

 

[MuswellMetro]

for a single hive or perhaps two or three, then yes especially if it is your first honey just do it

but remember you will end up with less caped honey and more uncapped honey that will ferment as it is more than 20% water content and cannot be sold

you can use it however for cooking

 

[Baggyone]

Jim,

A good hive going full blast will fill a super in a week, no problem at all. If your current situation is that you have 6 drawn frames and 4 partly drawn, I would put on another super on top. It can be a good idea to have one super that is always used above the brood box due to pollen being put in it above the brood nest. I would also consider putting the partly drawn combs in the middle and putting the rest to the outside.

Think about this, every time you take a frame out and replace it are you going to extract it or wait until you have enough to make it worthwhile getting the extractor out.

Another thing, how many supers do you have? I'm going to guess at 2 if your wanting to be a little bit tight with taking frames out individually.

Is this a first year hive from a nuc? If it is think about next year when that nice nuc building up in the first year to what you have now comes through winter and fills the brood box in April and your on 3 supers by the end of the month.

Surprised the hell out of me and I had the necessary supers all ready to go.

Baggy

 

[jimthebee]

chaps, thank you all for your answers,
I like the option of taking a couple of drawn frames out from super 1 and sticking them in super 2, it all seems so easy !!!!!!!!!!

Baggy, you have the nail on the head, LOL about being tight HA HA HA HA, FRUGAL i think they call it.
I do have a super ready thankfully.
regards Jim

 

[richardbees]

Jim
- there's nothing wrong at all about removing single frames when they are sealed. You should then fill the gap with an almost full one and add a new frame on the outside.
I only do it at the beginning of the season to get the first few lbs for good customers but only for the first couple of frames - as faffing around upsetting the balance wastes bees production time.
From mid May onwards I always have a second super on to give them space.
richard

 

[Baggyone]

Nothing wrong with being frugal jim.

 

[MrB]

I have read some of the advice regarding adding additional supers and have taken on board where to put it. The majority think below.

Although i have just read that if its underneath this may upset them and the possibility of swarming increases ?

Mine go on top

 

[jimthebee]

Mine go on top

doh, just when i thought about adding it on the bottom,

 

[MrB]

HaHa, well you did ask!