supers and apiguard

[StevenHart]

Hello,

Im new to this forum and beekeeping!

I understand that supers have to be taken off before I put the apiguard packets on, but what about the super I intend to leave on for their overwinter stors?

Do I take it off and then put it back on when the apiguard has been used or just leave it on whilst the apiguard is on?

Thanks in advance.

Confused...
Steven

 

[MuswellMetro]

Hello,

Im new to this forum and beekeeping!

I understand that supers have to be taken off before I put the apiguard packets on, but what about the super I intend to leave on for their overwinter stors?

Do I take it off and then put it back on when the apiguard has been used or just leave it on whilst the apiguard is on?

Thanks in advance.

Confused...
Steven

First welcome to the forum and thanks for the question, i am sure others lurking also want to ask the same Question

The reason why you remove a super is that thymol could contaminate the Honey that will be used for Human consumption, so the super you are going to leave on as winter stores doesn't to have to be removed because only the bees will eat it and it will have a similar amount of thymol present to their main store of honey in their brood box

Now whether a tub of apiguard actual taints the honey is another matter as is whether the super goes above or below the brood box and why the QE is removed but as i dont use feed supers then others that do would be better to tell you

 

[StevenHart]

Thanks MuswellMetro,

That makes sense about tainting the honey in the super as much as in the brood box.

We'll my next question was going to be should I leave the super on top or put it underneath the brood box? You got in first I hope someone can tell me if Im wrong in this, but my thinking is that I put the super underneath, so then the queen excluder isn't needed and I can just put the apiguard on top of the brood box. Hope someone can either confirm or correct me here.

Thanks again
Steven

 

[itma]

... but what about the super I intend to leave on for their overwinter stors?

As MM says.

But the overwinter "super" is really a 'shallow brood box' and so really should have frames with hoffman spacers, mounted on rails - rather than the SN1 frames in castellations that are most commonly found in crop supers.
Rails and "hoffman converter clips" are cheap and quick to fit.


// QX is *only* used to keep Q out of crop supers. None in winter, no QX in winter.

 

[Swarm]

I don't think brood spacing is necessary with a box of frames that are only intended to supply the bees.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Thanks MuswellMetro,

That makes sense about tainting the honey in the super as much as in the brood box.

We'll my next question was going to be should I leave the super on top or put it underneath the brood box? You got in first I hope someone can tell me if Im wrong in this, but my thinking is that I put the super underneath, so then the queen excluder isn't needed and I can just put the apiguard on top of the brood box. Hope someone can either confirm or correct me here.

Thanks again
Steven

As i said i am not a brood and super beekeepers but the apiguard FAQ says this

4. Q: Can I use Apiguard with a brood and a half or a double brood? A: Yes, but bear in mind that the level of mite control may be slightly lower than with a single brood chamber, as the number of bees that need to receive treatment is higher. Most bees, brood and varroa will usually be in the lower brood chamber, so place the Apiguard on top of the brood frames of the lower chamber and put the second brood chamber on top (ie the Apiguard is between the brood boxes). Repeat after 2 weeks, following Point 2 above.

i also attach the full PDF of apiguard FAQ because not much of the instrcution are printed on the 50gm tubs, i have seen used a 25mm eke with apiguard thymol tub above super and brood but again do not know if most brood and a half users follow the Apiguard FAQ and place the tub between the feed super and the brood

I have also seen 25gm used with a NUCs but the tub says nowt about the dosage for Nucs whereas the FAQ does says use less on small colonies but 25g sachets are not licenced for the EU,

hope that helps

 

[StevenHart]

Wow, lots of information to digest! Thanks everyone.

itma,
I'm confused a bit because I only want ot leave the super on for overwinter stores and didn't think I have to do anything special with it other than remove the queen excluder and decide whether to leave it under or over the brood box.

Swarm,
That's basically what I thought as its only for stores and not to have brood in.

MuswellMetro,
Thanks for the apiguard FAQ. After reading the bit you quoted I think I can get away with putting the super under the brood box and putting the apiguard on top of the brood box as the only brood is then up top in the brood box qnd will be close to the apiguard.

I supose at some stage I've got to make my own mistakes <grin> otherwise I'll never learn.

Thanks again everyone.

Steven

 

[skyking08]

I extracted my honey from the suppers mid July. I checked for Varroa and started to see the mites just about the same time.

I treated with Apiguard and the varroa is under control with only one or two collected every several days.

My problem is that so far in the last two weeks in July and the first week of August the honey flow was exceptional and they filled up two suppers full with honey. I have about another 80 pounds in suppers #4 and #5.

I don't know what to do with this honey now that I treated that hive with apiguard.

I took some frames out and gave it to another hive that is very weak, but I will have such an overabundance.

What can I do with this honey?

Harold

 

[drex]

All depends on you local forage and season. I do not usually extract until end Aug or start of Sept, and usually stil have the temps for Apiguard use and time to build up stores.
Always leave my half box on top as that is where the bees expect to find stores. Some on here put it under. From what they post it seems to make little difference.
I do it like this so as not to end up like Skyking. That honey may well be tainted. Taste it and see. If tainted , leave it for the bees.

 

[oliver90owner]

Super means 'over' and over is where the bees (nearly) always store their surplus. Some put a shallow box of stores below the brood box, but I never do. I do sometimes place a few frames in a box below the brood so they move it up pronto.

I would not want their food where all the hive detritus would fall on it to possibly accelerate the spread of nosema for instance. The honey above the brood will never get so really cold as it might if below the only heat source, in the winter, although that seems not to be a problem in the UK.

They will likely move as much up as possible, depending on when it is shoved underneath them, mind.

The only downside of a shallow of stores above the brood, as I see it, is of the queen laying in it in spring. But that is easily rectified by adding a Q/E and waiting 3 weeks. Unless you are squeamish of extracting brooded frames, no real problem. Oh! Bees always tend to move upwards, so honey above is he natural position for them to find it and no bees need venture to the basement, for a snack,in cold weather.

Choice is convenience for the bees or beekeeper, I suppose.

 

[Binge]

The only downside of a shallow of stores above the brood, as I see it, is of the queen laying in it in spring. But that is easily rectified by adding a Q/E and waiting 3 weeks. Unless you are squeamish of extracting brooded frames, no real problem.

But if you're leaving the first super on for the bees rather than feeding over winter, then that shouldn't be a problem anyway?