timeframe for filling supers

[DLee]

This is my first year beekeeping. I placed my first super on a little over a week ago. I checked it this morning and it's no different than when I left it. There were only a handful of bees even in the super. How long does it usually take for them to start building out the comb?

[Michael Bush]

A day, a week, a month, three months, never. Bees are not on a timetable. They will fill it when they have no where else to put the nectar.

Check again in a couple of weeks.

[This message has been edited by Michael Bush (edited June 15, 2003).]

[Ian]

#1 you need a stronge hive, many younger workers
#2 you need a heavey honey flow to draw out foundation fully
Your timetable revolves around your heavey feild blooms.

[mark williams]

If you put foundation on them you need to keep feed on them all the time until they get it pulled,during a good honey flow they want take much,But I'd still make the feed available to them anyway>>>>>>Mark

[dandelion]

Mark,
I feed mine but only if the foundation I have is in brood supers. I never fed them after adding surplus honey supers (I use medium supers) with new foundation, because I though that would amount to a slight adulteration of the honey that they would eventually store in those medium frames that they will start to draw out. Is this concern valid? Or is it really OK to feed them sugar syrup to draw the foundation in the honey supers?
Alejandro

------------------


[This message has been edited by dandelion (edited June 18, 2003).]

[Michael Bush]

You feed or not feed when you add your first supers, but if you are feeding them once they start storing any of the syrup in the super combs, I would stop. By then they will be well started anyway. After you have some supers on and are adding more, I wouldn't feed them unless the other supers are capped already, and they probably aren't.

The concept is simple. If you feed them sugar syrup and they will store it in the supers that's not good. If they draw comb with it, that's fine.

[Pat]

I agree, I wouldn't feed if you're trying to draw out the honey supers. I've found that they fill the combs as they draw them out.

[Dave W]

Greetings . . .

Is this a result of improper "Housel Positioning"?

Dave W