Still got stores.

[martin.henwood]

I did my first inspection on Tuesday. Three hives and two nucs survived the winter all queen-right. However, all the colonies have stores of honey in the brood boxes. I was wondering, if I put supers on, will the bees move the honey stores up in order to give themselves more room for brood?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

How much stores? if whole frames you could just swap them for empty frames and keep for nucs/next autumn. If it is just around the edges - still time for them to hoover it up - not much nectar out there now and with brooding on the increase they'll soon consume it.If you had left inspecting for another few weeks maybe the problem would have disappeared

 

[Thymallus]

Are they honey stores? or autumnal sugar fed stores? If the later, you don't want them exporting it up into the supers so perhaps wiser to remove them and use for feeding new Nuc's swarms etc.
There are other alternatives.

 

[enrico]

Are they honey stores? or autumnal sugar fed stores? If the later, you don't want them exporting it up into the supers so perhaps wiser to remove them and use for feeding new Nuc's swarms etc.
There are other alternatives.

Be careful, they do start using it now! Don't take it away until there is a flow on and you add a super

 

[drstitson]

just don't put supers on too early. only add when a) you have enough seams of bees/brood and b) when there is a flow.

unnecessary waste of energy otherwise.

wish we had PH here still to shout about it.

 

[jonnybeegood]

Are they honey stores? or autumnal sugar fed stores? If the later, you don't want them exporting it up into the supers so perhaps wiser to remove them and use for feeding new Nuc's swarms etc.
There are other alternatives.

So how do you tell if theyre hkney stores or sugar fed stores if theyre capped anyway?

 

[Dishmop]

So how do you tell if theyre hkney stores or sugar fed stores if theyre capped anyway?

Were they fed at the end of the season?

 

[Erichalfbee]

That's the nub.
If you fed them syrup last year and there are capped stores in the box you have to assume there will be some syrup there.

 

[jonnybeegood]

Were they fed at the end of the season?

Mine were yes, but they also had a lot of honey anyway, how can you tell if its all mixed together?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

.....and thymol!

 

[martin.henwood]

I didn't feed with syrup last autumn as I had returned lots of wet supers to the fives, consequently the bees had plenty of stores. Also I seem to have plenty of bees, and brood at all stages of development.

I'm reluctant to replace frames on a peace meal basis as I'm thinking of putting the colonies on all new frames and foundation later in the season as part of my swarm management regime.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Mine were yes, but they also had a lot of honey anyway, how can you tell if its all mixed together?

It tastes more like sugar syrup than honey!

 

[BeeBeeKa]

.....and thymol!

Thymol is a good indicator.
Rule of thumb:
If you feel thymol
It`s your syrup LOL

 

[Dishmop]

Mine were yes, but they also had a lot of honey anyway, how can you tell if its all mixed together?

Is this a trick question?