Should I take super off

[SteveJ]

I left both of my hive with a super on at the end of last year which both colonies filled with syrup. On one colony the super is near enough empty of stores and is feeling a bit light. I've placed some fondant on top of the super but they aren't really taking it. If the super is empty is it worth taking it off and placing the fondant on top of the brood box?

My other hive is still heavy and will take any fondant I can throw at them.

SteveJ

 

[djg]

SteveJ,

I would take the super off and get the fondant closer to the bees - especially since we may yet get another extended cold snap and the bees will cluster tight in their brood box.

Also gives you a chance to clean up the super...

Good luck !

 

[Skyhook]

Surely if the super is on top the bees will have eaten whats in the brood box and worked up. If you try taking the super off you may have bees everywhere- not good at this time of year. I would advocate caution. Can you look throught the feed hole and/or OMF and see where they are?

 

[SteveJ]

They are not in the super and the comb in the super appears to be empty.

SteveJ

 

[Poly Hive]

You have answered your own question Steve, you know precisely what you should do so do it.

Take it off... get rid of the dead space the colony does not need to waste heat on and it gets the fondant next to the bees where it should be.

PH

 

[For want of a better word]

Put an icecream carton or similar full of fondant over the crownboard hole... if it is a clear one as advocated by Pollyhive you can monitor how much is going without too much disturbance!
There just has to be a sticky somewhere about this!
Take the old super off when they have all gone to bed!

 

[Poly Hive]

Hang on. I have never advocated fondant in containers.

I say to put on a decent chunk and not play with it nor do I suggest putting it over so called feed holes in crown boards. They are in fact holes for porter bee escapes, another complete waste of time fiddle faddle.

My crownboards are solid.

PH

 

[Rosti]

PH, you've probably already said, but if you aren't placing fondant above the CB; are you?

a) straight on to the frame tops
b) onto the QE (my prefered option)

presumably with either option using an appropraitely sized feeding eke, then CB then insulation?

 

[SteveJ]

I've got it over the hole in the crown board. Doesn' tseem to be an issue on my other hive.

 

[Poly Hive]

In general it is just not a great idea.

Put feed as close to the bees as you can.

PH

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

In general it is just not a great idea.

Put feed as close to the bees as you can.

PH

Whith the proviso I guess that if its directly on the frames it can gloop down causing, I think you or someone said, an unholy mess?

 

[Poly Hive]

I said it droops on dead colonies and posted the pic to prove it.

My day for being misquoted it seems.

PH

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

I said it droops on dead colonies and posted the pic to prove it.

My day for being misquoted it seems.

PH

Sorry, please forgive failing memory!

 

[For want of a better word]

Sorry, please forgive failing memory!

Me too it seems!
Have replied to PM from PH and profusely appologised for daring to suggest PH advocated fondant in clear containers over holes in crownboards specifically there to take Porter Bee Escapes.
Probably will not waste my time anymore with this forum!

 

[Haughton Honey]

.....advocated fondant in clear containers over holes in crownboards specifically there to take Porter Bee Escapes......

He might not have advocated it but it is certainly no bad idea. Seems to work for me at least anyway.

In fact my crown boards only have one central feed hole. I don't mess about with those 'double Porter hole' crown board thingumybobs......

 

[Poly Hive]

I reserve the right to politely point out that I have been misquoted.

Especially in terms that directly contradict what I said.

Now that t he pm is in open forum I will quote it.

"Please do not attribute to me things I have not said.

Check the facts.

PH"

If that causes offence so be it.

PH

 

[Hombre]

Me too it seems!
Have replied to PM from PH and profusely appologised for daring to suggest PH advocated fondant in clear containers over holes in crownboards specifically there to take Porter Bee Escapes.
Probably will not waste my time anymore with this forum!

Every day can't be a winner, but please don't get your pants in a knot about it, for more than a few seconds anyway. I'm sure that in your 424 posts you will have asked and commented more than enough to know the value of the information and some of the sensitivities of the main players.

Just have a large cup of tea and consider that PH maybe doesn't eat a lot of ice cream, because it's bad for his figure and guests that melt comb honey into their tea don't deserve ice cream, so he wouldn't have ice cream containers big enough for that 10kg dod of fondant that is his standard.

Chin up, the season will soon be with us.

 

[Black Comb]

Yeah agree Hombre but are pm's necessary for stuff like this?
It's a forum so we all have our own opinion.

 

[oliver90owner]

It's a forum so we all have our own opinion.

We must not mix 'opinion' with 'factual statements'. Having your own opinion is up to you, and nobody else. Misquoting is another matter.

RAB

 

[Hombre]

Re-interpretation:

Yeah agree Hombre.
Are pm's necessary for stuff like this?
It's a forum so we all have our own opinion.​

Reason for the rephrasing was the close association with me and PM's which could infer something unintended.

Probably not, in my opinion, but that's down to individual judgment and preferences.

I suppose that if you are incorrectly attributed with having said something and don't speak up to deny it, then the attribution sticks, for better or worse.

I'm inclined to believe that my opinion is apt to vary from time to time, for a multitude of reasons. A failing memory, hopefully, not being one of them . . .