Table of Contents
The ideal time to add a super is during periods of natural population growth (typically, the spring), before or during a honey flow (spring or summer), or during periods of swarming (again, typically the spring). Before adding a super, beekeepers often use a standard rule of thumb, which is known as the 7/10 rule.
Can you put a honey super on too early?
YES! If you put them no too early the bees lose the heat up to the empty super. That will slow down brood rearing and reduce the number of bees they can keep warm. You are still full with honey so they have food they will clear as they raise new bees.
When should I add another super to my beehive?
When the bee colony reaches a point when a 10 frame hive reaches 8 frames full of bees, that is when you will add another super. Use the 80% rule in adding each super. After the second super is full drawn out of comb, that is when you can end supplemental sugar water feeding.
How fast can bees fill a honey super?
A strong colony during a strong honey flow can draw new foundation and fill a honey super in 1 week, and sometimes in 3 to 4 days. An average bee colony will take between 2 to 4 weeks, while a weaker colony will take 1 to 2 months.
Should I harvest honey the first year?
As general rule of thumb, do not take honey from a colony in its first year. Often the bees aren’t strong enough yet to make an excess amount and they need every drop they have to make it through winter. If your colony is strong and has plentiful stores, how much you can harvest varies greatly by geographical location.
When should you super up?
Once a colony has about 6-7 frames of brood in the spring it will be time to add a super. The procedure is simple in that a queen excluder is put on the top of the brood chamber and then the super placed on top; crown board on top of that.
Can you feed bees with supers on?
To clarify, a beekeeper should never feed sugar syrup to bees when they have a honey super in place. Never. If a honey super is in place when the bees have sugar syrup, they will store it in the comb just like honey.
How many supers can you put on a hive?
A single hive can have at least 2-3 supers. When your first honey super is about ⅔ full of honey, add another super on top of it. Repeat this process until you’re ready to remove a super.
How long does it take for bees to fill a brood box?
A package of bees will likely take up to 2 months to fill a brood box. This is a realistic expectation and your bees may fill it faster or take longer depending on your local conditions. Also, the population of a package of bees will slowly shrink for around 3 weeks until the first round of new brood emerges.
How long does it take for bees to clean a super?
If you don’t want to make multiple trips, I would say 1 super can be cleaned by 1 strong hive in 2-3 hours – more or less. I just put my frames in front of my hives 3-4 hours before dark. After an hour or so of darkness, I put them in a chest freezer for 24-48 hours. Done.
How many frames go in a honey super?
Some beekeepers use only 8 or 9 frames in a honey super, while others use all 10. It does make a difference. Obviously, if you use 9 frames, the comb on each frame will be drawn out wider by the bees, thus making much more space for the honey.
How many times a year can you harvest honey?
Most beekeepers harvest honey 2-3 times per year/season. Honey is normally harvested between mid June until mid September. How often you harvest depends on your local climate and plant life.
Where do you put honey supers?
Some beekeepers feel that excluders reduce the honey crop – perhaps they may. However, brood in the supers reduces the crop too. My suggestion for most beekeepers is to use one. Put it between the top brood box and your first collection super.
What can I do with half filled honey supers?
You can put all the partially capped frames in a super above an inner cover. As long as the days remain warm enough for the bees to move around, they will move the honey from the super down close to the brood nest. If you want them to remove all of it, scratch open the capped cells.
Is a queen excluder necessary?
Honey bee queens are not likely to cross more than four inches of honey to look for empty cells in which to lay eggs. Once there is a full surplus super of honey below some empty supers and above the brood nest, a queen excluder is not necessary, provided excessive smoke is not used while managing the colony.
Do bees recognize their keepers?
Bees DO NOT recognize their beekeepers! Beekeepers are naturally calmer and more careful around bees, so bees just leave them alone.
Which way should beehives face?
Many experienced beekeepers suggest that the entrance of a beehive ideally should face towards the south or to the east. The southern exposure makes sense. During the winter months – at least in the northern hemisphere – the sun sits low on the southern horizon.
