I purchased my first hive last Spring ('05 - Italians) and they did really well last year. Both hive bodies are full of brood and honey. We had a really dry summer last year in AR so I thought because they were a new colony and not real strong, that was the reason they did not build up into the shallow super I put on.
This year, when things were really blooming, I put the shallow super on again and nothing. Only a few bees went up and they seem to be eating or breaking down the foundation. So, I thought I would switch foundation to see if that was the problem and again, they just eat at it or are chewing through it and not building it out. I have a metal excluder that I am using and they seem to pass through fine but only a few.
Can anyone give me some advice as to what may be going on? The hive is really strong and everything seems to be in order in both the hive bodies. Do I need to use a bigger super? Should I switch to a wood excluder? Do I need to bait with honey? Would love some adivce.