Supering and spacing

[snelgrove]

As already said don't feed when supering with foundation. Also I would put the super on without an excluder until the bees are drawing comb and storing. Then check that the queen is below and add excluder. Bees will take forever to move through an excluder to pull foundation. You mite get some eggs in super but dosnt matter the main thing is there established in the super.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Bees will take forever to move through an excluder to pull foundation.

I must say I've never found that.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I must say I've never found that.

What is this with forcing the bees?
I was always taught to work WITH them not FOR them.

Strolling across the meadow, smoker in hand; looking into the bees in the sunshine, smoke wafting more over me than in the hives....peace and birdsong.
Yeah OK......... not always like that but you get the message

 

[snelgrove]

What is this with forcing the bees?
I was always taught to work WITH them not FOR them.

Strolling across the meadow, smoker in hand; looking into the bees in the sunshine, smoke wafting more over me than in the hives....peace and birdsong.
Yeah OK......... not always like that but you get the message

I was taught to produce honey.

 

[snelgrove]

I must say I've never found that.

I speak form my experience here, 14 degrees here, forcast ten Saturday, what have you got, might move to finland

 

[Erichalfbee]

I was taught to produce honey.

Ah well....I don't ever aspire to 30 hives. Each to his own.

 

[BeeJayBee]

There is definitely a wrong time to put on a super - queen excluder or no - you're just giving the bees loads of unwanted space above the brood to heat - unless you know what you are doing.

Ha....not if you have a Flow hive. You can put a Lang deep's worth of empty space on top even though the bees have not a single drop of stores in the brood box and you have half a brood box of bees, then go away for four weeks.... Good stuff....these Flow frames

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOQI3rmyqfI

Astonishing!

She's got a colony that's still trying to draw comb and is on the verge of starvation, and adds a super.

I hope the bees abscond while she's away on holiday, it would be heartbreaking to see her moaning that they had died.

If she was seen treating any other animals this way the RSPCA would be down on her like a ton of bricks, but bees seem to be expendable.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I think she must be getting bad advice. There is somebody called Celia Davis (I think she writes books about beekeeping though I have never read any of her work. This lady quoted her and said "Celia says there's never a wrong time to put supers on so that's good enough for me". Shame for beginners to get such stupid advice from their BKA.

 

[masterBK]

You get more problems supering too late (ie swarming) than too early in my experience.

 

[Cussword]

I think she must be getting bad advice. There is somebody called Celia Davis (I think she writes books about beekeeping though I have never read any of her work. This lady quoted her and said "Celia says there's never a wrong time to put supers on so that's good enough for me". Shame for beginners to get such stupid advice from their BKA.[/QUOTE

I've read both her books and heard her speak, and off the top of my head I don't remember her saying or writing that.

Although she did say that sublimating was wrong

As a newbie I agreed,,,, of course.
.

 

[Robbo8916]

The right move then - as EricA just leave them finish the syrup they have then take the feeder away - if, when you next open up they haven't finished drawing out the brood frames put one frame between the stores and the brood each side - that should get them going.

Thanks I will have a look next time I get down and if they haven't drawn it then I will pop it further in the box.

There were a lot already in the super when I took the feeder off so I don't think the QE has affected them much. Being a newb it took me ages to put it on so I didn't squash anyone. Then when I put the feeder on the floor I squashed one on the bottom of it anyway. Yuk that crunch is not pleasant.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Well masterBK have you looked at the video and do you agree with her advice?
And yes she probably does know loads more than me but I wouldn't have supered that hive which is what I was talking about.

 

[masterBK]

Having watched the video I agree that colony was not ready for supering. Maybe Celia has been quoted incorrectly or out of context. There seems to be an obsession with heat loss amongst several forumites.

 

[Robbo8916]

What happened to my thread?

 

[Hivemaker.]

What happened to my thread?

Is that better with some of the insulting bits removed, I think so.

 

[Erichalfbee]

What happened to my thread?

Sorry....it's my fault.
No feed on the super
Start on 11 frame hoffman spacing then move to ten, either this season or next after you have extracted. I use 10 frame castellations in all my supers.
If you are not using an excluder try to line the frames up with the brood box or you might get comb being built in the spaces and there is a danger that when you lift the super a brood frame might come with it.....not funny if you then drop it down your wellie and even less funny if queen is on it.

 

[Robbo8916]

Is that better with some of the insulting bits removed, I think so.

Yes thankyou!

Sorry....it's my fault.
No feed on the super
Start on 11 frame hoffman spacing then move to ten, either this season or next after you have extracted. I use 10 frame castellations in all my supers.
If you are not using an excluder try to line the frames up with the brood box or you might get comb being built in the spaces and there is a danger that when you lift the super a brood frame might come with it.....not funny if you then drop it down your wellie and even less funny if queen is on it.

Thanks Erica, not entirely your fault lol

I put the super on with 11 frames, my frames are seconds from Thornes sale and as such are not Hoffman so I have had to use plastic spacers.

I used a QE (plastic) and have immediately decided I want a framed wire one as squashing even one of them upsets me although I may lose this sentimentality after a few seasons. The brood box also has 11 frames.

I took the feeder off and left them to it.

The poor lady who's garden they are in took two stings to the head yesterday but has assured me it hasn't put her off! (Will be keeping my ear to the ground just incase). Apparently the girls have been very well behaved today and are still piling in the beech,willow,sycamore and dandelion pollen.

Will be going to have a look (from outside) tomorrow mainly because I can't stay away lol.

As I was putting the slate over the hole in the crownboard there were a lot of girls in the super already, with two busy glueing the board down.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes thankyou!




The poor lady who's garden they are in took two stings to the head yesterday but has assured me it hasn't put her off!

Yes, mine a a tad tetchy for 24hours after a proper inspection....I steer well clear of one lot.

 

[MerryBee]

Will be going to have a look (from outside) tomorrow mainly because I can't stay away lol.

If you get a clear crownboard you can have a little peek inside without disturbing the broodnest !

 

[JWF]

Really interesting to have a clear crownboard on in the winter, they remain fairly busy even when theyre not foraging, unless it gets pretty cold.