When To Add 1st Super

[Ru78]

Hi all,
Long time reader... just haven't asked a question before... so Hi!

We (me and my girlfriend) started bee keeping about 5 weeks ago (they're technically hers!) with a swarm which we put into a blank hive with 11 frames of foundation in the brood box.

On last nights inspection they'd drawn out 8 frames, with grubs clearly viable, and the GF rotated a couple of the outside blank frames in to encourage the bees to fill these.

Now I was wonderer if it wasn't the right time to give them a super to start building stores in... or should we leave them to draw the remaining frames in the brood box?

So much to learn....

Thanks for any thoughts.
Ru

 

[Erichalfbee]

The general consensus is to super on 7 or 8 frames of solid brood. Where are you in the UK. Have you a flow on still? Blackberry,Rosebay,Lime,Balsam are a few in flower. I hived a swarm earlier this year, they had drawn 7 frames, I was going to put a super on "soon" but they went before I did........caught them but severely compromised my kit.

 

[Ru78]

HI,
Thanks,
we're in the SE on the coast near Eastbourne, so the flow still seems to be on, with plenty of Blackberry, and even some clover still around (not sure how good this is, but bees seem to love it!).
Ru

 

[drstitson]

how many frames of brood?

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

This may depend on the flow you are getting in. You don't say what part of the country you are in, but several are reporting a drying up. If there is little flow then there is little point in putting on a super unless you have wall to wall brood.

You say they have drawn the frames, have they filled them, and if so how many with brood and how many with stores? As erica says, any less than 7 or 8 full frames of brood, don't worry.

 

[Hivemaker.]

What model of hive,brood box size?

Let them draw all the frames in the brood box,and depending on size of swarm,and brood box, they will most likely not be needing a super this year, plus the numbers will be falling for the first 21 days, before any young bees start to emerge....they will be foragers in time for the ivy.

 

[Swarm]

I'd concentrate on getting all the BB frames drawn and making sure they are strong going into winter.

 

[enrico]

Yep I agree with the last two. Honey this year is very unlikely so make them fill the brood to capacity. This should last all winter on the south coast but it you want belt and braces then when you start to feed in the autumn add another super. When this is full of stores stop feeding, swap the super for the brood so that the super is on the bottom (No QE) They will eat from the bottom up so in the spring you just remove the empty super before she starts laying in it. That way you get no sugar water in your honey.
Best of luck and look forward to loads more questions!
E