Good morning everyone,
Looking for some advice ... was out checking the hives on Thursday this week, I have two hives that I may need to add another super to. I did some rearranging of less worked frames ... moving them towards the center, but think I should likely be adding another super.
I've also read that bees will not cross an excluder if only foundation is present. Do the majority of honey frames have to be capped before adding a honey super? I've also read about reverse supering ... where the new/empty super is placed next to the deeps with the full honey super above. Can someone explain why someone would do this. It seems like alot of work to move full honey supers everytime you add a new one ... must be benefits.
Supers must added simply because the colony grows. It needs more room. If yopu do not give in time, it swarms.
Second thing is that if queen has not enough space, the colony swarms.
Mostly colony must grow enough that its brood rearing and foraging is in balance and it starts to store honey.
Colony growt from one box hive to productive 4 box hive takes about 6 weeks. Smaller colonies take more time.
I've read where the queen will not cross honey to lay ... the last thing I want to happen in the honey supers.
I have no excluder and queens may lay where ever they want. But basicly bees keep the brood area compact.
That is why I use 3 brood boxes. I do not mind, are they super or what.
The more brood, the more foragers, - some day...
Do the majority of honey frames have to be capped before adding a honey super?
it is controversy.
Like I wrote, supoers are ned for bees, not for honey. You may have 4-5 boxers bees but honey at all.
When you want one capped super, you need in hive 2 more supers where bees dry up the nectar.
Put allways the new box between honey andf brood. Rippen brood up, and nectar in the middle. Brood down.
It seems that you need a good beekeeping book. If you read these forum stories, 90% is carbage.
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