Two half-full supers - what did I do wrong?

[Travelator]

I often seem to end up with colonies that have two half-full supers above the queen excluder... whereas I would prefer one full super, neatly capped!

I know that there are ways of clearing the half-full supers, by putting them under the brood or above a feeder board. I also know that getting rid of the queen excluder would probably sidestep the problem.

My question is - assuming that I insist on using a queen excluder - what am I doing wrong? Putting too many supers on? Not enough? Putting them on too early or too late?

 

[Swarm]

Possibly adding the next one too early but more likely not rearranging the frames so they are all capped.

 

[Finman]

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It is quite usual. The hives needs enough space but if the flow ceases, it happens.

Colect fattest frames into upper super and put the rest under brood box. Bee move the food away from cold down stairs.

 

[enrico]

As finman says .... Just take the half full ones and move the frames round so you have one whole one. The trouble is that if you put the second super on too early the bees will 'funnel' up through the middle, the warmest place, leaving the outer frames empty, don't add the second super until you have some nectar on all frames in the first one, having said that, there is nothing wrong with what you have done, most of us end up with half filled ones!
E

 

[psafloyd]

Possibly adding the next one too early but more likely not rearranging the frames so they are all capped.

 

[psafloyd]

The guys are right. I have three almost all capped supers on one of my hives. Despite moving the outer frames in so they would fill them, they haven't quite finished filling them. But they will, and very soon and the IT'S ALL MINE....mwahahahahahahahahaha

 

[VEG]

The guys are right. I have three almost all capped supers on one of my hives. Despite moving the outer frames in so they would fill them, they haven't quite finished filling them. But they will, and very soon and the IT'S ALL MINE....mwahahahahahahahahaha

Unless it rains and they eat it all lol

 

[For want of a better word]

Oh well... mine are half empty!

 

[BeeJayBee]

Unless it rains and they eat it all lol

Stop it!

Mostly half-empty and half-capped here too.

 

[sandysman]

Oh well... mine are half empty!

No, you mean half full!

 

[BILL.HEARD]

As finman says .... Just take the half full ones and move the frames round so you have one whole one. The trouble is that if you put the second super on too early the bees will 'funnel' up through the middle, the warmest place, leaving the outer frames empty, don't add the second super until you have some nectar on all frames in the first one, having said that, there is nothing wrong with what you have done, most of us end up with half filled ones!
E

 

[psafloyd]

Unless it rains and they eat it all lol

They wouldn't bloody dare.

 

[blackcavebees]

They wouldn't bloody dare.

They did last year!

 

[Travelator]

Thank you all for your encouraging replies! I shall spend some time shifting individual frames around and take comfort from the knowledge that other people are seeing the same problem.

 

[Finman]

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Summer continues in UK, but how, that we will see

.

 

[psafloyd]

They did last year!

Mine didn't. Too polite.