List of Uses For Half-Filled Honey Supers

Depending on the beekeeping method, a beekeeper can use a partially filled super to extract the honey, or store the entire super in the freezer for next year. Some people place the frames outside in a plastic crate, but this may lead to mold and fermentation. To prevent mold and bacteria from growing, you can place the partially capped frames in a dehumidifier for a few days.

Stack medium honey supers on top of deep hive bodies

A medium honey super is used in many beekeeping systems. This box is lighter than the deep hive body and is therefore easy to lift when filled with honey. This method is useful when two deep boxes are used in the same hive. When supers are too heavy to lift, however, you can stack the medium box over the top of the deep one. In this way, you can maximize space without sacrificing the strength of the hive body.

When first installing your hive, only use one deep box. Using more than one box will slow down the progress of the bees, and will create more room for unwanted pests, such as wax moth and small hive beetles. However, medium boxes can serve as second boxes. In general, the bees will draw out 5-7 combs in the first deep box. The length and width of the first box depends on the weather, but a deep box can weigh over 80 pounds when full.

During the winter and summer, it is recommended to stack medium honey supers on top of deep swarm boxes to store honey. This arrangement helps the bees cope with the winter and summer nectar dearth. A medium-sized six-five-inch-deep super will serve as a brood box. Stacking a box this high is possible, but you should be careful not to disturb the bees when they are supersed.

If you’re using mediums to stack honey supers on top of deep hives, you’ll probably want to keep one box on the bottom. This will prevent your bees from escaping and may even increase the risk of swarming if the bottom box is filled with honey. Stacking mediums on top of deep hive bodies will make them more compact and easier to manage.

Medium honey supers are generally shallow boxes and weigh about 50 pounds. They are also more flexible and easier to move when full. Medium boxes are also 30% lighter than deep brood boxes. These bodies are up to 90 lbs each when filled, but medium supers weigh just 60 pounds. This weight difference will save you back and joints, so it’s a wise choice. In addition to being lighter, medium honey supers also serve as brood boxes.

Remove queen excluder

In late summer and early autumn, the bees will stop producing enough honey to feed themselves, and this is when you should remove the queen excluder from your half-filled honey supers. The queen will not expand without pollen and nectar. Bees will grow into full size only when they have enough nectar to grow. Remove the queen excluder from one or two honey supers and replace them with drawn frames from your new super. Beekeepers often reduce the hive to one body and the queen excluder from the other. This practice makes the colony weak and won’t work well on new frames.

When removing the queen excluder, be sure that it is fully detached from the top of the super. This will prevent the queen from flying away. Beekeepers must wait at least 24 days before removing the excluder. This will keep the queen warm during the coldest months. New beekeepers often forget to remove the queen excluder, and then are surprised to find their hive has a dead queen in the springtime!

The use of queen excluders has been a hot topic in beekeeping forums. Some beekeepers swear by them, while others condemn them. The queen excluder is a perforated barrier placed between the hive’s boxes that prevents the queen from gaining access to the honey super. The excluder also prevents the queen from accessing the hive’s brood chamber.

Beekeepers should consider removing the queen excluder from their half-filled honey supers if they practice bee-centric beekeeping. Beekeepers who choose not to use queen excluders may find it difficult to collect honey or inspect the brood nest. They should also store the queen excluder when not in use. A queen free super is safer for both the queen and the bees.

Harvest honey

A half-filled honey super can be used for several different purposes. If your bees haven’t fully capped the frames in their honey super yet, remove the super and store it for the next season. Alternatively, you can take the frames out of the hive and store them outside in plastic crates. But be sure to remove the frames when they’re at least 80% capped with honey. Otherwise, the honey could ferment.

Another use for half-filled honey supers is to harvest the remaining honey. Honey from honeycombs will turn granular and thicken in cool weather. It’s virtually impossible to extract honey from a granular form, so harvesting it while the comb is still warm will ensure maximum productivity. You can harvest honey from half-filled honey supers by following some simple steps. These tips can save you money and help you enjoy the benefits of keeping bees.

During the spring season, honey bee colonies ramp up population growth by adding new bees and food stores. Honey supers are important to a beekeeper as they provide the colony with enough space to grow and store honey. Honey supers can be made of wood or polystyrene. Depending on your preference, you can also opt for the best materials for the hive. A great place to buy honey supers is Amazon.

You can also fill the frames with honey. However, beekeepers should remember to avoid taking the honey from the brood boxes during winter. To ensure that the honey stays healthy during the winter months, reduce the number of frames and build up instead of going out. You can also harvest the honey from half-filled supers if you can reach them easily. Then, harvest the honey and use it for a variety of different uses.

Another use for a half-filled honey super is to draw the drone foundation from the beehive. By doing so, you save time and effort when harvesting honey. Half-filled supers have less wax and more honey than supers with a higher volume. Moreover, the drone foundation is easier to handle because there’s less surface area. A breadknife can easily cut through drone comb without harming the bees.

Store honey

You can either use a bottling bucket or an ordinary household bucket to store your honey. A bottling bucket is convenient because it has a gate on the bottom that makes it easy to fill bottles. An uncapping bucket is just what it sounds like-a bucket with a strainer at the bottom. When you want to use your honey, you can put the uncapped honey in the strainer.

Some beekeepers freeze the empty supers or store them in pest-proof storage bins. Others suggest opening and feeding the bees the honeycombs in fall. Some people scratch the capping open to remove the honey more quickly. In general, however, most beekeepers opt to store empty supers dry and clean. In addition, they can spend the time to clean the honeycombs.

Some beekeepers have the habit of stacking empty supers near the beeyard. This practice can cause robbing pressure and weak hives. Depending on the size of the operation, the empty combs can be frozen or removed. Larger operations may use chemicals and fumigate their equipment. Many beekeepers choose to build a small shed near their bee yard to store empty combs.

If you are a beginner, a good rule of thumb is to add a new super when the flow of nectar has reached eight of ten frames. This will ensure that the bees have ample space to store their honey and avoid overcrowding in the hive. To avoid this problem, be sure to include a queen excluder. Also, be sure to remove the supers from the hive if the hive is full of brood.

Drawn combs are another problem with winter storage. They are also vulnerable to hungry mice and moths. But even if you do not remove the comb from the hive, the honey will still need to be stored properly. The comb may be able to be salvaged the next spring. Just make sure you use plastic foundation for storing the comb, or you’ll end up with a mess and additional work for your bees.