How Bees Move Honey From Brood Box to Super
When you add a honey super to your hive, you must first decide the box depth. Always choose a deep super for your brood box, and if you’re adding a second one, always use a deep super as well. A deep super allows the queen to have ample space to move around and lay eggs, but shallow supers may quickly fill up with nectar during the peak of the nectar flow.
Using drone comb
When you are trying to move honey from a brood box to a super, you can use drone comb to transfer the honey. The comb is made up of drone cells that are surplus to the needs of the queen. Drone cells in the middle of the comb will be raised repeatedly by the queen, while drone cells in the corner are never used. However, it is possible to remove the drone cells before they emerge.
The use of drone comb saves beekeepers time and effort. It allows them to draw out supers without moving frames of honey from one super to another. A hive that is strong enough can store an arch of pollen in the bottom super. Drone comb is also an effective tool for preventing an arch from developing in the super. It can help to avoid the “million drones” fiasco by ensuring the foragers are not traveling too far to unload honey. It may also result in an unevenly drawn comb, which can be fixed with a breadknife.
If you have a strong hive, you can put it on two supers. Try to fill all outer frames in the bottom box. If you have extra space, the bees may only use the inner frames. If you have empty frames, you can rotate the frames to the middle position, where the honey is. It is also important to keep in mind that drone comb is full of honey but not brood.
When using drone comb, you must first confine the queen in a hive before you start transferring honey to the super. Doing so will make it easier to find the queen and prevent her from laying brood in the super. It will also reduce the risk of June swarming. In addition, you will have more worker comb than you had previously.
The number of brood boxes and supers depends on the type of hive you have. The hive should have enough room for the queen to lay eggs and survive the winter. Once the first box is full, remove the queen excluder. If you are supering more than one box, the queen excluder should stay in place. However, bottom supering will require more manipulation and work.
Adding a new super directly above the brood nest
A filled super placed directly above the brood nest serves as a queen excluder. A queen wants to keep her brood box together, and a honey barrier will prevent her from crossing the box to lay her eggs. Bees will start to work in the super sooner, and they will have to walk less distance to do so. Adding a new super directly above the brood box may help them move honey from brood box to the new super more efficiently. However, be sure to use the right technique for your circumstances.
You may want to place an excluder above the honey super, but it is not necessary. The frames that have drawn honey should be placed on the foundation. If the honey super has only one or two frames drawn, the excluder is unnecessary. Adding a new super directly above the brood nest helps bees move honey from brood box to super.
In addition to the honey super, bees can also use a queen excluder if they feel trapped in the brood box. Bees cannot forage effectively when they are crowded. Adding a super at the wrong time will stress the colony and reduce the amount of honey it can produce. If a colony is overcrowded, a super will prevent bees from rearing replacement queens.
If you notice honey accumulating in the brood boxes, it means that there is no room for the queen to lay eggs. Honey can also be stored in brood cells if the colony is honey bound. This will kill the queen and significantly reduce your productivity. However, if you observe the honey accumulating inside the brood boxes, you will find them moving out of the brood boxes and into the new super.
If you notice the honey super filling up quickly in early June, it is time to extract the spring honey. The first killing frost occurs this month, so be sure your hive is well-stocked with food, honey, and brood boxes. If you notice that your hive is too large, you may need to consolidate the hives to one or two deep boxes, which will make it easier for bees to thermoregulate.
Adding a new super at the bottom of the hive
The simplest way to add a new super at the bottom of the beehive is by placing a frame with the empty foundation in the center of the new box. The foundation of the first box should be left in place. Once the first box is full, remove the queen excluder and add a new super above the brood. In the bottom supering method, the new box is placed above the brood.
Adding a new super at the bottom or top of the hive depends on the size and number of frames. Adding a new super at the top is easier and faster, while adding one directly above the brood nest is more challenging. In either case, the bees will be happier and more productive if the new super is placed above the existing one. It is also easier to check on the new super and its contents.
Before a new super is added, beekeepers need to determine how many boxes to add. Bees tend to move upwards naturally, but if a new super is added too early, bees will start flying outward instead of upward, which makes the hive less efficient for using the equipment. In addition, prematurely added super can result in a long, narrow colony, which is not ideal for honey production.
In order to add a new super, bees need space to ripen their honey and evaporate the water content. If they are too crowded, wax moths will invade the hive, and the bees will swarm. If you choose not to add a new super at the bottom of the hive, be sure to keep the first one intact.
When removing an old super, be sure to store it somewhere safe, out of reach of wax moths and rodents. Empty supers should not be stored in the open. They should be stored in a sealed container or frozen. They may lay their eggs inside the new supers the next spring. So, when the new super is added, be sure to store the old one in a cool and dry place away from light.
Adding a new super at the top of the hive
If you’ve just started your beekeeping journey, you might be wondering how to add a new super to your hive. First of all, you should add a new super only after your first one has been fully occupied with frames of honey, brood, and pollen. The reason for this is that the bees need room to ripen their honey and evaporate the water content. Adding a new super will help them to expand their brood nest.
Another reason to add a new super is to increase space in the hive. Bees require three times the space of honey, so if the hive is full of frames, you will need to add another one. Beekeepers usually add new supers when their bees’ numbers start to skyrocket or when the nectar flow is at its greatest. It’s essential to plan ahead and read your bees’ language. If you don’t understand their language, your decisions may be wrong!
The top supering method is generally preferred, as it involves less lifting and gives you easy access to the old super. However, if you want to add a new super at the bottom of the hive, you’ll need to lift one or more almost full supers off the bottom. Bottom supering is more time-consuming, but is warranted only when you’ve delayed supering or your top super’s combs have capped over.
Another reason why you should not add a new super at the top of the existing one is that it will interfere with the flow of bees in the hive. The bees will seek other homes and will swarm if they don’t have enough space. Adding a new super at the top of the hive will prevent this from happening. There are several factors to consider when adding a new super, and some of them will be discussed below.
When adding a new super at the top of the beehive, you’ll need to carefully consider the size of the box. You can place it above or below the brood box. You should place an excluder between the top super and the bottom super. If the hive is too large for one box, a queen cannot cross over. This is an important factor to keep in mind if you’re supering a big colony.