Super and apiguard

[Levitt53]

Hi, I'm just trying to get my head around my plans for next season. I have a wooden hive which had a half full super of honey on it which I decided to leave with the bees over winter. I nadired it. I did also leave it on when I treated the hive with Apiguard, purely for my own ease. Obviously I don't yet know if there will be any honey left in it when I first inspect it but if I put it back on top of the QE can the honey that is in there now plus any other than goes in there, be harvested, or will the whole thing have to be scrapped? Basically I think I'm asking how long does the effect of Apiguard remain in the foundation or honey?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Negligible in the foundation but forget the honey. You need to make sure the bees eat it not move it to another super. So keep it for a nuc?
I bet it's gone by first inspection though. I suspect the bees would have moved it up into the brood box as soon as you put it there if it was warm enough and they had room

 

[wightbees]

You might find the Queen is laying in the super. How many BB are on the hive?

 

[Levitt53]

Great. Thanks for a very quick and concise answer.

 

[Levitt53]

You might find the Queen is laying in the super. How many BB are on the hive?

Just the one so yes maybe. It was a swarm that I was given and this will be my second season so I have no idea what I'll find.

However if it was moved into the BB it might then get moved into a super at a later date in the same way as any honey in the BB might have been? I suppose you can't worry about these things to that degree. Note to self not to leave it next time, but it was such a steep learning curve during the year it seemed one less thing to do.

 

[wightbees]

Some use brood and half, others two brood boxes. Personally I find the bees need more than two but that's my opinion lol

 

[Gilberdyke John]

You might find the Queen is laying in the super. How many BB are on the hive?

If the first inspection is reasonably early season it's a low risk but rearranging the boxes with a qe above the brood box with the previously nadired super above that will restore the desired separation. Even if there are eggs etc in the super box a few weeks elapsed will see the cells emptied out. In the event some drones have emerged these can be released during inspection.