Thans Bjorn you make it sound not so serious. I did put a super on my hive a month back so I guess it could be possible that may have caused the stress. It has been the driest (or near to it) year on record here so even though all the gums are flowering it could be that nectar is still scarce - do trees produce less nectar in dry seasons? There was plenty of pollen in the hive but little honey as I mentioned.
I added additional topbars (two throughout the brood) should I:
1. leave it as it is
2. remove the super and leave the new topbars
3. remove the two new topbars and leave the super
4. remove both the new topbars and the super?
In regard to feeding, what do people recommend as the best recipe for and method of dispensing feed in summer?
This is what the hive looks like with the super on.
Thanks again,
Mike