To add a super or not

[Blacky50]

I hived a good swarm 2 & half weeks ago and just checked them over for the second time. Its my first hive so go easy on me

They are on a national brood box and have drawn 5 or 6 frames and I saw the queen, eggs, uncapped larvae & capped larvae so all looks to be developing well.

However they are building wild comb in the roof space between the crown board and the roof, and they now have good nectar stores there, some capped. I didn't close the crown board holes when I hived them.

I put a super on of foundation to try to get them to store there, however I wonder if I have separated the brood too far from the stores.

What's the best way of dealing with this?

Put the wild comb into supers with rubber bands/masking tape and close the crown board holes?

Any suggestions gratefully received.

I'm in an urban environment in Bedfordshire, and the bees are well behaved.

 

[FreeFall]

They need a good 7 or 8 frames of BROOD (not comb) before you should apply a super - IMO they are building in the roof space because they like to go up. I would remove the super, close the holes in the crownboard and then scrap the wild comb if it has no brood in it (you don't mention whether you have a queen excluder on or not). You could crush the comb to extract the stores and then feed it back to them. I'm pretty new to this too - so just opinions, not fact

EDIT - sorry, see you don't have a super on yet. I wouldn't add one...

 

[jackbee]

just take out the wild comb and keep it - looks fab on the windowsill or desk at work

freeze it if there's any brood and you have a great teaching aid too then!

oh and close up those gaping holes

 

[Erichalfbee]

with freefall
Take off the super,close the crownboard holes and feed the wild comb nectar back to the bees. You can crush it and pop it into a rapid feeder places over one hole of the crownboard(presuming it is one of those with two for porter escapes).
Super when 7/8 whole frames of brood.

 

[enrico]

This is a good learning experience for you and explains why we keep going on about bee spaces. If you leave anything more than a bee space anywhere in your hive then the bees will fill it with comb. If you leave two frames too far apart you may find they build wild comb in the middle between the two frame instead of building out the foundation. If you leave a hole to a space as you have done by leaving the feeding holes open in your crown board, they will go through them and build comb in the roof. ( you are actually using a feeding board as a crown board, crown boards have no holes! But that is fine as long as you cover them) as far as adding a super goes, not just yet.... Let them build out the bb frames as much as possible. All you need to do is keep an eye on laying room being taken by stores, a judgement that comes easier with experience.
Welcome to the world of bees trying to get one over on you!! They do so regularly with me!!
E

 

[Blacky50]

Thanks for quick response. Super removed. Porter bees escapes on crown board - sorry feeder board. I'll wait until the brood chamber is fuller before adding the super, and in the meantime I'll feed them back what they have collected when they've moved away. Seems a bit mean to take it away when there's not much spare.

 

[FreeFall]

Porter bees escapes on crown board

Make sure you have them the right way around if you're doing this.

Personally I would take them out and block the holes with a tile / piece of glass / wood as they will propolise them which will make them useless.

 

[Poly Hive]

Yet another newbie falls to the perforated crownboard. It's frankly not fair on the beginners to sell these things.

I do so wish the big boys would stop selling a two in one CB as any craftsman will say one tool for one job. Anything that promises to do it all is a major compromise.

My crown boards do that job, and that alone. No holes. Ever.

My clearer boards do that one job.

If I have to feed I use either frame feeders or an empty super with fondant in it. Kilos of it not mere ounces.

PH

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Make sure you have them the right way around if you're doing this.

Personally I would take them out and block the holes with a tile / piece of glass / wood as they will propolise them which will make them useless.

If you leave the porter escapes on the bees will only propolise them up so they'll be unuseable anyway

 

[Blacky50]

I thought that using the bees escapes as an easy way of getting the bees off the wild comb, like clearing a super before extraction.

There's lots of it and getting the bees off might be a bit tricky.

Once bees gone then definately close the holes up with wood.

The training hives at my local branch have the holes open and rarely any comb in the roof space so took the lead from them.

 

[enrico]

You must have a pitched roof for that much comb. Most people use flat ones which reduces the chance of that happening!
E

 

[Poly Hive]

How are you to know?

I would cast some doubt on their practices then.

And this is the trouble, people are taught rubbish and merrily carry it on as that is what they know.

My beekeeping is massively different from my early days but I was lucky to be mentored by some progressive and excellent beekeepers.

PH

 

[Blacky50]

T*****s Bees on a Budget flat roof & not pitched. Its about a 4 inch gap from feeder board to underside of roof.

 

[enrico]

Was that aimed at me ph? Don't understand! Sorry
E

 

[enrico]

Blacky, that seems a lot! Mine sits on the crown board resting on a half inch rim. Not sure why there seems to be four inches on yours!
No wonder they are building comb
E

 

[jackbee]

Yet another newbie falls to the perforated crownboard. It's frankly not fair on the beginners to sell these things.

I do so wish the big boys would stop selling a two in one CB as any craftsman will say one tool for one job. Anything that promises to do it all is a major compromise.
PH

Don't see what's wrong with cbs with feeder holes/feeder boards. Saves a tenner or more, just cover holes. One board does the job of both with a small addition, I use bits of old tile that was lying around.

Common sense, i knew they were feeder holes so covered them when not feeding.

 

[aberreef]

Same here

 

[Poly Hive]

Uh huh.

All good until you drive fifty miles to retrieve the cleared supers and find two drones stuck in your perfect porter escape and a lot of very annoyed bees trapped behind them.

Right tool for the job works best. And the last thing I would use for clearing is a porter...

PH

 

[jackbee]

Same here

Welsh common sense, see!

I'm on long term missionary work over the bridge from swansea

 

[Finman]

. Common sense ... a few beekeepers has it. Vain to look it


Bees drawn wild combs, because your inner cover is not closed. You keep feeding hole open? The heat escapes with that system.

Second, Put another foundation box under the present brood box if you do not know (as beginner) how much they need space.

There is no rule, when to add more space top swarm. the hive will not expand for next 4 weeks.

Let the queen lay where it wants. Don't use excluder and dont try to get honey from the hive. Just let it be bee.

You do not know, is it laying queen or virgin. That you know after one week from swarming. But it s same what it is. Main thing is that it has larvae.

Follow the hive if they get honey and fill the combs. Otherwise just wait 4 weeks that new bees start to emerge and hive will need perhaps one box more.


YOu duty is to follow weekly what bees do. So you learn what they do and what is happening in the hive. Next year you have some idea, what is happening and what you perhaps should do.