Why put supers on top?

[Dishmop]

Hi all,
I seem to recall that someone on this forum explained that in inventing the 'commercial' beehive the 'honey box' was placed above the brood box because the bees did not like empty space above them. The QE prevents the brood nest from being moved up. Sounds plausible to me, but it could be a load of tish.

Doesnt really matter what you call the hive..A box is a box. Put one on top of another and bees will still build downwards for brood and leave the honey behind (above) them.
The beekeeper manipulates the boxes so that honey isnt stored in frames/cells that have had or will have, brood in them.

 

[oliver90owner]

The beekeeper manipulates the boxes so that honey isnt stored in frames/cells that have had or will have, brood in them.

Do they? I don't. Neither did monsieur Warre?

Carp or tish is the clear answer. And both were the same!

 

[victor meldrew]

Doesnt really matter what you call the hive..A box is a box. Put one on top of another and bees will still build downwards for brood and leave the honey behind (above) them.
The beekeeper manipulates the boxes so that honey isnt stored in frames/cells that have had or will have, brood in them.

Most Beekeepers do . I'm with the majority brown trout or nay!
VM


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[Dishmop]

Do they? I don't. Neither did monsieur Warre?

Carp or tish is the clear answer. And both were the same!

I dont see that its the clear answer to anything under discussion.

It does however suprise me from your statement that you just bung on any old frames wherever space many be available for the bees to store honey.

 

[Ely]

I'm with Oliver on this. Such squeamishness is a very recent thing in the history of beekeeping. Once apon a time the grubs would have been eaten along with the honey. Oooh imagine that! Once apon a time meat didn't come in a plastic rapper too.

You are taking honey out of an insect nest where no doubt a proportion of it has travelled from various other positions in the hive including brood comb before it comes to rest in your squeaky clean super comb. I just don't understand why people allow themselves to be such wimps

 

[Swarm]

You are taking honey out of an insect nest where no doubt a proportion of it has travelled from various other positions in the hive including brood comb before it comes to rest in your squeaky clean super comb. I just don't understand why people allow themselves to be such wimps

Spot on!
The only reason to worry about squeaky clean supers is cut comb.

.....I'll pass on the larvae lol.

 

[Apple]

Helloo

My children bought me a TBH with an observation window two years ago

The bees move the stores sideways!

 

[richardbees]

James

If your children are still in Primary school you are giving them too much pocket money!

Otherwise....with your tbh you are talking about a colony starting from scratch whereas with my National hive I'm starting from a broodbox full of stores and brood so sideways isn't an option.

richard

(what a great present)

 

[victor meldrew]

Helloo

My children bought me a TBH with an observation window two years ago

The bees move the stores sideways!

Dont suppose they have any option
vm

 

[Ely]

The only reason to worry about squeaky clean supers is cut comb.

.....I'll pass on the larvae lol.

Oh yes. Definitely

 

[jp19sqn]

I agree with Ely, we sell honey from clean supers but every week we rotate a new foundation frame into every brood box and remove a brood frame of honey as a method of reducing disease load. We spin out the brood nest honey and it is lovely. We call it scrag ends and it tastes better! My kids will only eat scrags and customers are now asking for it. Efficient beekeeping does mean not missing opportunities. We stop rotating of course after all of last years comb with honey in has been taken out, takes the whole summer as sometimes there is too much brood on the last frame. Sometimes there is an end frame with no Honey. If we get a mixed frame, honey and pollen, it goes in a nuc and it powers a split and re-queen.

 

[oliver90owner]

Oh yes. Definitely

Sorry to disappoint, Ely, but there is one advantage not considered/thought about here - that of reduced risk of wax moth devouring frame comb while in storage.

Mr Finsky extracts every little bit of honey he can get his hands on and then feeds back sugar syrup for the winter stores. I don't do that, but am not trying to earn a living from my bees like he is

Personally, I allow the queen to lay in a shallow (she will generally only lay in one) over my 14 x12s at peak lay rate if she needs the space. I don't have frames of sugar syrup stores in my colonies (not fed syrup in the autumn for umpteen years) so I have no particular reason to completely clear out the bottom box for laying space early on. Inserting a queen excluder can confine her to the 14 x12 box if necessary and that first shallow, containing brood, can be extracted three weeks later, so no real hassle at all.

RAB

 

[Finman]

Mr Finsky extracts every little bit of honey he can get his hands on and then feeds back sugar syrup for the winter stores. I don't do that, but am not trying to earn a living from my bees like he is

Personally, I allow the queen to lay in a shallow (she will generally only lay in one) over my 14 x12s at peak lay rate if she needs the space.

It is a real shame to produce honey. It is like to eate own dog.

40 years ago my 10 year average yield rised to 60 kg/hive. After that it has been more.

I extract my hives in 100-200 kg bits. It is little compared to real beekeepers.

My queens have 3 langstroth boxes to lay. I do not accept one box layers.
I do not believe that shallow layers exist.
.

 

[Finman]

Spot on!
The only reason to worry about squeaky clean supers is cut comb.

.

If you look honey hunting "jungle men", they eate brood frames too.

.

 

[pargyle]

Spot on!
The only reason to worry about squeaky clean supers is cut comb.

.....I'll pass on the larvae lol.

Probably taste like ....Chicken !

Someone will be along to tell us no doubt !

All being a bit squeamish - as a kid I used to go fishing and in the winter (proper winters in Yorkshire I would add !) it was common practice to put the maggots used for bait in your mouth to warm them up and make them wriggle -- accidentally swallowed a few over the years !

Not sure I'd do it now ....

 

[Dishmop]

I do not believe that shallow layers exist.

 

[Swarm]

It was more the larval cases I was considering, probably a bit chewy I'd imagine.
Spinning the honey shouldn't be anything to worry about and neither should wax moth if the supers are stored carefully, something which we all do?

I remember bringing round many a maggot, lol.

 

[Ely]

I think if I were to eat a grub, I'd have to swallow it whole. Not too sure I'd be keen on the gooey center.

 

[Erichalfbee]

as a kid I used to go fishing and in the winter (proper winters in Yorkshire I would add !) it was common practice to put the maggots used for bait in your mouth to warm them up and make them wriggle --

Husband has told me the same. I thought it was a silly joke.....obviously not

 

[oliver90owner]

Erichalfbee,

It was always a joke played on the younger ones that would not realise that about 2 seconds after being cast into the water, the maggot would be getting pretty cold again!!