To extract or not to extract

[Wilfredbuck]

My dilemma is this: I have one hive with single brood box, I have an 90% capped super and have just placed a second super on. This is my first year of keeping bees so do I:
a) Leave the supers x2 on and they can feed the bees over winter
b) Take off the full super and hope the bees start building out and fill the presently empty super for winter stores
c) Take off and extract the honey from half the full super so basically hedge my bets a little.

Also can leave the full super on the hive for a week or two (until I can borrow a extractor)?

Cheers all

 

[Erichalfbee]

They don’t need a super for winter stores. They will fill the brood box with enough. Take the honey.
Whats the situation in the brood at present and do you still have a decent flow in the Cotswolds?

 

[Swarm]

My dilemma is this: I have one hive with single brood box, I have an 90% capped super and have just placed a second super on. This is my first year of keeping bees so do I:
a) Leave the supers x2 on and they can feed the bees over winter
b) Take off the full super and hope the bees start building out and fill the presently empty super for winter stores
c) Take off and extract the honey from half the full super so basically hedge my bets a little.

Also can leave the full super on the hive for a week or two (until I can borrow a extractor)?

Cheers all

Wait until you have the extractor, clear the super and extract the honey. Remove the supers for winter and feed syrup.

 

[Wilfredbuck]

They don’t need a super for winter stores. They will fill the brood box with enough. Take the honey.
Whats the situation in the brood at present and do you still have a decent flow in the Cotswolds?

Perfect... I am in Anglesea at the moment for the week and have a friend checking my hive for me – he says it's all pretty good in the Brood box and the flow is still good back home...

 

[Wilfredbuck]

Wait until you have the extractor, clear the super and extract the honey. Remove the supers for winter and feed syrup.

This sounds like a good plan to me... I do like a simple plan

 

[Amari]

I agree with the above except that I feed syrup into a super above the brood box so over-winter on brood and a half (no queen excluder between the two boxes).
Standard practice is to treat for varroa in August after taking off the honey, then feed syrup in September.

 

[Wilfredbuck]

I agree with the above except that I feed syrup into a super above the brood box so over-winter on brood and a half (no queen excluder between the two boxes).
Standard practice is to treat for varroa in August after taking off the honey, then feed syrup in September.

OK, cool... with this method what do you do In the spring - is it just a matter of removing the super you've over-wintered?

 

[user 819]

Hopefully thay have some stores in the BB , too soon to talk of feeding.
Mid September in to October is when I might start if they need any, one needs laying room for winter bees to be produced for a strong colony over winter.
Look arond your locale 1km or so for standing ivy oin hedges or wrapped around trees as this does provide valuable nectar and pollen for winter stores.

 

[Amari]

OK, cool... with this method what do you do In the spring - is it just a matter of removing the super you've over-wintered?

The thing to remember is that, come spring, the super is still likely to have some sealed stores of syrup (at least the colony didn't starve) so one doesn't want that super to be used for incoming nectar. So I might:
1. Remove and keep it as emergency stores for a colony in need.
2. Don't remove it but in spring put the Qex above the two boxes and run the colony as brood&half.
3. Scarify any capped stores and temporarily nadir it (ie put below) the BB in early spring - the bees will take the stores up into the BB, then remove the nadir.
There are strong opinions on the forum re options 2 & 3 and I risk being banned from the forum for evermore.......
One of many things I like about beekeeping is that there is rarely only one correct method for each situation. It's good to experiment!

 

[Swarm]

OK, cool... with this method what do you do In the spring - is it just a matter of removing the super you've over-wintered?

Better to avoid filling honey supers with sugar.

 

[user 819]

Don't feed with supers on , unless during emergencies or a dearth. Then only little and often to prevent storing.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I agree with the above except that I feed syrup into a super above the brood box so over-winter on brood and a half (no queen excluder between the two boxes).
Standard practice is to treat for varroa in August after taking off the honey, then feed syrup in September.

Standard practice in training apiaries maybe because of logistics and getting student attendance. In the real world round here August is generally early and treating later works just fine. It's a matter of reading your bees and adjusting accordingly.
Out of interest how many were taught not to feed winter syrup while treating?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Out of interest how many were taught not to feed winter syrup while treating?

Not many when apiguard was the standard? There were warnings that you shouldn’t do both then the manufacturers changed their advice.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Standard practice is to treat for varroa in August

really?
That sort of 'advice' is what's buggering up beekeeping - before long it will be July, then June.
And why fill a super with sugar syrup?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes. I’ve no idea why a “standard”like this is applied to varroa treatment.

 

[user 819]

Typically I find August too soon but this year for me is an acception for medical reasons.
I would treat in June or July if I found a colony over burdoned with varroa. but not needed to do so thus far (current vaping regime twice a year works very well).

 

[user 819]

Yes. I’ve no idea why a “standard”like this is applied to varroa treatment.

It is a hand down BBKA standard and that which LBKA's tell their sheep to follow also iterated by older beeks who haven't changed their stance.
They are told to remove the honey then treat straight away because they also need to pump 40lbs of feed in asap so the bees don't starve ,no thoughts are given to current stores levels or late nectar flows.
They aren't taught to calculate stores already in place .
In the end space for winter bees can be limited and also likelyhood of late swarming.

Here I tend to get very good ivy flows and my bees can fill a whole BB with Ivy so they are left on double brood and any excess stores in spring can be saved for feeding back in a dearth or for nucs etc,etc.

 

[user 819]

I expect like a lot of beeks in my early days I was a fiddler , but as one gains the experience and knowledge one should adapt their style of beekeeping.
My double brood leaves me to allow the bees extra time before opening in spring, the Q has expansion room so removes a beeks need to fiddle to early or start removing or adding boxes.
Hefting is still a worthwhile tip to practic eand to be accustomed with, it is all I use to gauge stores during winter /early spring.

 

[robmort]

I agree with the above except that I feed syrup into a super above the brood box so over-winter on brood and a half (no queen excluder between the two boxes).
Standard practice is to treat for varroa in August after taking off the honey, then feed syrup in September.

A crazy idea. Supers are for storing honey in summer and removing it when ready, not for leaving on in the winter. The brood box should contain enough stores for winter and keep the brood compact in a dense, warm space.

Also certainly not "standard practice" to treat in August.

 

[drex]

I like to run double brood. Two colonies at present in singles, so their last "super" is a deep, but with no QE under it.