Adding supers?

[texjim]

i have one super on at the time. i just checked it this morning and the bees are just now starting to put honey in it. So how long should i wait before i add  a second super? thanks

[Finski]

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Normally hives need supers because colony grows. It depends on capped brood frames more than nectar coming in.

Your hive is tiny. It consumes almost all food for rearing new bees.

First you should look into brood box what you have there. How many frames brood, how full are food frames and how many have food stores.

If you have 8 frames full on brood, after 2-3 weeks you must have 4 boxes in the hive for bees. If the queen lays then in two boxes, about 4 weeks later you may have 6 boxes in the hive.

Honey comes later to the supers when hive is big enough.
And home bees and foragers are in balance.

If you have 4 boxes of  bees and then it comes a good nectar flow, you need  2-3 boxes for nectar flow. But it happens again about 3 weeks later.

The bigger the colony grows, the more sensitive it is for swarming.

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[asprince]

When they start filling the two outside frames add another box.


Steve   

[Finski]

When they start filling the two outside frames add another box.


Steve  

that rule does not work at all.

First you must concentrate your self to follow the colony growth. Otherwise the hive will be crowded and it stops working and swarms.

You must look capped brood frames, and not how they fill honey frames.

Then when hive is big, follow how they fill boxes. following frames have no value because the hive brings 2-4 kg honey a day. In best flows a hive brings one box full in 3 days.

In small hives like 2-3 boxes concentrate yourself to arrange room for brood. Otherwise you are in troubles.

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[asprince]

When they start filling the two outside frames add another box.

Works for me down here in Central Georgia.


Steve

[Finski]

When they start filling the two outside frames add another box.

Works for me down here in Central Georgia.


Steve

What is your average yield and how many boxes you hive has usually?


When I forexample move my hives to canola field, I valuate my hive stereng and the possible yield and the n I put so much empty boxes that at least one week flow can be stored in. I do not lok, what they have done.

When I am at home in capital city, hives are loaded to recideve the flow which may come during next week.
Sometimes it is 60 kg ripe honey and sometimes 100 kg ripe honey in two weeks what canola blooms, It is same with fireweed. Sometimes it is only 30 kg, but allways I have loaded the hives in same way, if the strong flow begins.

Last summer my hive on balance brought 7,5 kg every day and one week's saldo was +50Kg. It is over 3 full medium boxes. I had even better hives.

I can convince that nothing like that does not work in south east Finland.

[oregonbeeman]

When the first is almost full I add the next.

[Finski]

When the first is almost full I add the next.

it really don't go that way.
Really wrong idea

[Finski]

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I repeat

When you have a hive one brood and one super, it is not really a hive. It is a baby hive.

the most important is to live according the brood area and according growing bee amount.
Even if you do not get a single drop honey, you must add room foor bees. Otherwise the hive swarms and escape.

I have had summmers that I have 6 box bees in hives but I need to feed them that they do not starve on canola fields. When canola flow begings, the hive start to fill combs so fast that you cannot follow the combs.  6 box hive may store 60 kg honey and the upper most box will be capped when I add more empty boxes. But that is very different story compared to one brood+one super hive.

A small hive is dangerous to the beginner. On canola fields a small hive fill itself in few days and then it swarms without warning. A beginner has no experience to prevent happenings.

If yu are not sure, when to enlarge, give a foundation box under the brood box. Then super on.
The bees can move honey from brood frames up to super and then bees can enlarge the colony down warms.

When lower box is half full brood, then turn around boxes. Or if it combs are drawn, but does not have brood, then turn boxes around. That prevents swarming.

*********

When colony has 4 boxes, it is capable forage a good amount honey. It depends then on pastures.
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[Finski]

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Just now I have here situation that nature is full of nectar and pollen. No bees can gather all yield from the fields. Hundreds of hectares dandelion. Farm gardens are full of apple blossoms. 13 hectares autumn canola. Another field from home yard 6 hectares canola. Distance is a mile.

BUT! The day temp is forecast 14C and bright sun. Bees do not work well in that temp. It depens much on wind.

However... my many hives are in that situation that they have 2 boxes brood. Now today I will add 2 boxes to the hives, one down and another up. Bees cannot stand 2 boxes over the brood box when night temp is near zero C and day 12C.

When young hives grow fast, they consume all honey what they get.

.Filled honey frames are not a reason to add more space. It is brood which rules.

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[indypartridge]

In best flows a hive brings one box full in 3 days.

Waiting until a super is nearly full before adding another is too late. As Finski says, during a good flow they will fill an entire super is just a few days.