Extracting soon?

[Beehappy1950]

I was wandering. Do I have to wait till say august to extract or can I take off some supers early if they are capped? I have seen hive pics with as many as 5 or 6 supers. Is there any reason to leave that many on there? Arent the bottom ones ready first?

[RayMarler]

Extract them as they are capped, is what I do. I always leave enough behind for the girls tho, all the open nectar if any and enough to get them by in times of dearth. So long as they have some, extract as it's capped. I find with my equipment that I get 5 gallon bucket full with 12 deep frames extracted.

[memcnult]

I also extract once about now, and a second time later in the summer or early fall. Otherwise I run out of equipment, since right now I've got every box and frame I own on the the hives. Plus, I don't like letting the hives get too tall because it becomes harder to deal with lifting boxes/frames when I'm ready to steal 'em.

[Fuzzy]

I'd have to agree with Memcnult. Right now they are filling them as fast as I can put them on. So, I must pull them, extract, and put them back on within 2 weeks. Otherwise, they will run out of room and fill the brood boxes as well. One hive is curently working on supers 6 & 7 for the year.

Fuzzy