They won't take it down!

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HughMann

House Bee
Joined
Jun 21, 2020
Messages
178
Reaction score
132
Location
Wales
Hive Type
14x12
My 14x12 brood box has 2 empty frames (one fully drawn out, the other partially). So I put a super on top with just 3 partially filled frames of honey, uncapped them and opened a slight hole for bees to come up and take down the honey. Also added a round feeder with 2/1 sw.
Blow me if they don't bloomin recap the honey and start filling the cells with more!
Am I missing something? I want them to take it all down so I can take the super off, but leave them with a nice full brood box.
How do I convince them they are not in their own hive, just robbing a secret chamber?
 
One would think a 14 X 12 will have plenty of stores if all the other are filled with brood and stores. Try nadiring the super so the bees might move it up where they prefer it or try leaving just one shallow frame in an eke laying down to see if they will take it down.
 
My 14x12 brood box has 2 empty frames (one fully drawn out, the other partially). So I put a super on top with just 3 partially filled frames of honey, uncapped them and opened a slight hole for bees to come up and take down the honey. Also added a round feeder with 2/1 sw.
Blow me if they don't bloomin recap the honey and start filling the cells with more!
Am I missing something? I want them to take it all down so I can take the super off, but leave them with a nice full brood box.
How do I convince them they are not in their own hive, just robbing a secret chamber?

Bees don't move honey down because that is where they expect to find it when they need it. Nadiring it is the ONLY solution and it has been talked about on here for too many yonks to mention.
 
One would think a 14 X 12 will have plenty of stores if all the other are filled with brood and stores. Try nadiring the super so the bees might move it up where they prefer it or try leaving just one shallow frame in an eke laying down to see if they will take it down.
Maybe place the super above the crown board with feed hole open . They’ll probably remove its contents as and when ! ?
 
Maybe place the super above the crown board with feed hole open . They’ll probably remove its contents as and when ! ?
Bees don't move honey down because that is where they expect to find it when they need it. Nadiring it is the ONLY solution
Unfortunately it's getting a bit late for anything - putting the box above the crown board depends on the bees thinking it's 'outside' the hive and we're getting the kind of weather when bees are reluctant to go outside for much.
Ideally, nadiring should have been done a lot earlier, putting a lot of stores under the hive now (especially under a jumbo hive, and especially sealed stores) would probably mean that when you go back in spring, it will still be there because, as mentioned earlier, a 14x12 has sufficient room for stores so the bees won't bother expending the extra energy shifting any more up.
 
Unfortunately it's getting a bit late for anything - putting the box above the crown board depends on the bees thinking it's 'outside' the hive and we're getting the kind of weather when bees are reluctant to go outside for much.
Ideally, nadiring should have been done a lot earlier, putting a lot of stores under the hive now (especially under a jumbo hive, and especially sealed stores) would probably mean that when you go back in spring, it will still be there because, as mentioned earlier, a 14x12 has sufficient room for stores so the bees won't bother expending the extra energy shifting any more up.

I stand corrected - to a degree. My bees are flying so will be foraging and storing, so.................................................?
 
I stand corrected - to a degree. My bees are flying so will be foraging and storing, so.................................................?

Wierdly (perhaps?), here in the north of Scotland, my Buckfast are out and about, 9 C and slight drizzle. I have no idea what they've found,; even our ivy is yet to come. Meanwhile, the sleepy-head, ragtag, local bees are mooching around in the hive. :rolleyes:
 
Maybe place the super above the crown board with feed hole open . They’ll probably remove its contents as and when ! ?

He (Hugh) has already done that but with a smaller hole for them, tbh a larger feed hole won't make any difference now except to allow more heat to escape.
 
Wierdly (perhaps?), here in the north of Scotland, my Buckfast are out and about, 9 C and slight drizzle. I have no idea what they've found,; even our ivy is yet to come. Meanwhile, the sleepy-head, ragtag, local bees are mooching around in the hive. :rolleyes:
Not really weird, you local bees are sensible hunkering down and conserving their energy/stores whilst the buckies are wasting it whilst achieving nothing.
 
Wierdly (perhaps?), here in the north of Scotland, my Buckfast are out and about, 9 C and slight drizzle. I have no idea what they've found,; even our ivy is yet to come. Meanwhile, the sleepy-head, ragtag, local bees are mooching around in the hive. :rolleyes:
I’m oop North . My bees are mongrels and working their socks off .
There’s even Sheltered stands of Balsam . Ivy is in full flow .
Must admit less and less of the returning foragers resemble home pride graded grain sifters .
 
I’m oop North . My bees are mongrels and working their socks off .
There’s even Sheltered stands of Balsam . Ivy is in full flow .
Must admit less and less of the returning foragers resemble home pride graded grain sifters .

I'm jealous of that. We've had balsam for probably two months,or ,ore, but must have stopped now. It's upside down for me..the locals have been the best foragers all year.
 
Wierdly (perhaps?), here in the north of Scotland, my Buckfast are out and about, 9 C and slight drizzle. I have no idea what they've found,; even our ivy is yet to come. Meanwhile, the sleepy-head, ragtag, local bees are mooching around in the hive. :rolleyes:
I bet you find your local bees winter on less stores than the bucks.

It's interesting that you have two different types of bee.. You will learn loads when comparing there performances.

Are you weighing them?.
Apologies off topic... Not so much:giggle:
 
Are you weighing them?.

....not literally, but hefting, yes. Not that I would know what the right heft was. ;) I'm reasonably strong for my age, so things have to be actually nailed down before they feel nailed down to me. ;)

Both colonies have a super of stores...it's mainly not honey as they acquired it when I thought feeding was the best thing ever, a little too early in late summer. It is interesting how two hives of bees within 150 meters of each other, both started from mid-summer nucs can develop so differently.
 
....not literally, but hefting, yes. Not that I would know what the right heft was. ;) I'm reasonably strong for my age, so things have to be actually nailed down before they feel nailed down to me. ;)

Both colonies have a super of stores...it's mainly not honey as they acquired it when I thought feeding was the best thing ever, a little too early in late summer. It is interesting how two hives of bees within 150 meters of each other, both started from mid-summer nucs can develop so differently.

  1. Hefting The Hive..
    Yes, or those digital luggage scales, slightly lift each side of the box and add the two readings together, a good wintering weight for reasonably strong colony in a cedar standard nationaldeep is around 70lb at the end of October, not including the roof.
 
Hughmann are you feeding at the same time?
if you are then they are just putting the syrup in the super frames. if you stop feeding they may move it down once they have space below.
 
  1. Hefting The Hive..
    Yes, or those digital luggage scales, slightly lift each side of the box and add the two readings together, a good wintering weight for reasonably strong colony in a cedar standard nationaldeep is around 70lb at the end of October, not including the roof.
As a beginner, i think it's a must do weighing hives with luggage scales.
There cheap of ebay, these are what I use 50kg Digital Luggage Scale Portable Weighing Weight Suitcase Travel Scale Strap 6966451250866 | eBay

Once up to hive weight my single brood are 30kgs, 6 frame poly nucs 12.5kgs, I will weigh every two weeks and heft also at the same time, to get a feel of the weight of the hive.

My Italian mongrels usually need fondant in February where as my amms don't.
I've Amm colonys that used only 20+ lbs over winter frugal bees.

Great Post murrox.
 

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