Additional Supers?

[sansabar]

Here is my setup.

First year (since April). Two elevated hives with identical pieces - slatted bottom board, 1 deep brood chamber, excluder, two medium supers, screened inner cover, top cover slanted back for better ventilation. I have been keeping a rotating crop of Buckwheat available to them for that last 8 weeks. I fed them 1:1 syrup up until that time because of the drought and because they never stopped taking it.

The brood chamber in both boxes looks good with one queen more efficient than the other. Both supers closest to the brood chamber are nearly full and they are in the process of capping the honey. When things appeared crowded a few weeks back I added the additional supers but the bees are not touching these other than to fill it "extra" bees. I did it as much to help with ventilation as anything as it has been so hot here in South Georgia.

Should I leave things as they are? I am not so concerned with harvesting honey this first year as I am to make sure the hives are healthy and ready for winter.

[RonS]

Suggest that you place the empty super with frames between the deep and full super. Sometimes, a full super will stop them from moving up to the empty super. Happened to me. It may also be that the flow has slowed or stopped.

[Dan Williamson]

Are your supers foundation or drawn comb?

[sansabar]

Are your supers foundation or drawn comb?

Foundation. Plasticell

[Dan Williamson]

Foundation. Plasticell

Personally I would take a frame of capped honey if available from one of the supers and move it to the other box to "bait" them into that box and put the frame of foundation you remove in the "full" box.

As RonS suggests, I would probably move the foundation closest to the brood chamber directly above the excluder with the bait frame in it. This isn't entirely necessary as they will store honey above the "full" super if they need the room but it does seem (in my experience) to get them drawing foundation a little more quickly if directly over the brood nest.

If you had supers of drawn comb I'd still say bait them up with a frame of nectar but I wouldn't worry about "bottom supering" (or putting the box under the full super)

[nsmith1957]

I would Checkerboard the two supers.

[ScadsOBees]

It would also help to get rid of the excluder, at least until they start drawing out the plasticell well. QE + undrawn plasticell = :mad:

But then again, if you're not at peak flow they may not draw foundation regardless.

Rick

[Dan Williamson]

It would also help to get rid of the excluder, at least until they start drawing out the plasticell well. QE + undrawn plasticell = :mad:

But then again, if you're not at peak flow they may not draw foundation regardless.

Rick

I just don't have a problem with the q-excluder and drawing plastic in a baited super especially if they have already filled a super above the excluder. There should be plenty of bees above it already.

Everyone has their own opinions about the excluders.

If they don't fill the super even with it baited... chances are that you have no flow or one that is way too light.