when to super ?

[richardbees]

Tim

On cold days when not a lot is going on , It's easy to forget the hundreds and hundreds of bees emerging daily inside the hive that need something to do!

good luck,

richard

 

[Skyhook]

All of our hives are on a brood and a half and one of them is full of bees from top to bottom all the way across the frames. Because it is so full I must admit I was thinking of splitting the boxes. Too early for that? It has not had it's spring clean yet either, although I might skip work for a few hours on Thursday as the forecast seems good for here.

I'm not familiar with managing brood and a half- what do you mean by splitting the boxes; and why would you not just super (or nadir, as Finman suggests) if they are overcrowded?

.

 

[Tim.S]

Splitting the super (or half) from the brood box is just a quick and easy way of getting another hive, separate the super/half, put on a new site with food and let them make a new queen. Add empty brood box as required. Meanwhile the brood box half (with the queen) is still capable of producing a good honey crop on the original site.
As to brood and a halves in general, I would not recommend it. Too much work. Like a few others I started bee keeping with nationals and after I had invested in them discovered that our bees needed more space. If I knew then what I know now I would probably gone for something like a Langstroth. I might in the fullness of time convert some of ours to 14 x 12. Cue a whole new thread on that one!
Anyway to revert to the original thread I am now off to pop a super on.

 

[psafloyd]

A poster on another thread has National with 6/7 frames of sealed brood and remaining frames full of stores/pollen. It's all a question of time of year, where you are and what you think the weather's going to do!

I would super in that situation/

Exactly what I did at the weekend.

 

[Finman]

Splitting the super (or half) from the brood box is just a quick and easy way of getting another hive,.

You just spoil the build up of your best hive. To make more hives in early spring is a mad idea.

2 box of bees is nothing. 5 boxes is something.

Just add boxes and let the colony grow. It make to you honey.

If you split the hive, it cannot make honey for a long time. It takes ovet month that it is capable.


But if you have small colonies, You may give one capped frame to the small hive and it will do much more better.

.

 

[Finman]

Originally Posted by richardbees View Post
A poster on another thread has National with 6/7 frames of sealed brood and remaining frames full of stores/pollen. It's all a question of time of year, where you are and what you think the weather's going to do!

I would super in that situation/




Exactly what I did at the weekend.

And the idea is that they store pollen to super, or what was the idea?


Give another brood that they have space to pollen and brood. Pollen is valuable.

Of course bees try to store pollen near the brood and it deminish the laying area when you have excluder.

.

 

[enrico]

You just spoil the build up of your best hive. To make more hives in early spring is a mad idea.

2 box of bees is nothing. 5 boxes is something.

Just add boxes and let the colony grow. It make to you honey.

If you split the hive, it cannot make honey for a long time. It takes ovet month that it is capable.


But if you have small colonies, You may give one capped frame to the small hive and it will do much more better.

.

Unless of course you WANT more colonies, then what better time to do it!
Two sides to every coin finman!
E