first honey super on my good hive-some questions

[jamiev]

I put my first Honey Super on today. All of the brood chambers (3 meds) were packed with brood, & honey in a nice pattern. Two frames in the top chamber were solid honey, drawn out very deep, except one had a very small area of brood.
I fed empty foundation into the lower and middle chamber because they were packed so solid and there did not seem to be much room for the queen to lay. As I have read on this forum, I put two honey frames into the honey super to "bait the bees up".
A small area of brood on one of the honey frames was all sealed brood, no empty cells. As I have also read and been advised by many, I did not use a queen excluder. I am confused. Will the queen move up and lay when the comb is drawn? Should I move the frame with the brood back down? Or should i just add the excluder in a day or so after the bees move up? The queen is marked in this hive so I will not add an excluder until I am positive she is below it. If possible, I'd rather not add the excluder at all.
Also, a few weeks ago I put two empty plastic frames (superframes from Brushy Mt)for brood mixed in with all of the small cell wax, all of which they have drawn out nicely. For the Honey Supers, I have used all of my plastic foundation. They are slightly larger cells and I figured they would be ok for honey. Please advise...Thanks

[iddee]

>>>>Please advise...Thanks<<<<

You have done well. Give the excluder to the kids to play with in their sandbox, relax, and check your bees again in 2 to 3 weeks, just for a short peek.

[power napper]

jamiev-sounds like you have things under control. As long as you gave the queen some vacant frames to lay in (opened up the brood nest) things should be alright.

[jamiev]

Thanks iddee and power napper. The kids still have a sandbox but the youngest is 14 so i grew lettuce in it the past few years. I've got several or these excluders. Great idea iddee !!Maybe I can sift garden soil with them.
I placed two empty frames, one in each lower brood chamber. Hope that keeps the queen busy.
How long for these girls to fill the honey super if they decide to do so? BTW i use eight frame mediums.

[dickm]

The principle of the queen excluder becomes apparent when you have a hive that has brood in each of five mediums. Sometimes the queen will "Chimney" this way. I then put all the brood below and the honey or empty comb above the excluder. To cut down on it being an impediment I provide an upper entrance, just below the cover. (Imirie shim) Once a full super of honey is in place, it becomes a natural excluder and the queen USUALLY won't pass it. If your bees read the same books I do they will have cut back on brood rearing a little right now (in the dearth). I think 3 mediums is enough room for a brood chamber, your bees may not agree. As the year moves on, they should begin filling the upper stories with honey as the brood emerges. This "backfilling" puts the stores above the brood chamber for the winter.

Dickm

[jamiev]

thanks Dick
I have created an upper entrance by putting push pins in the inner cover and resting the Outer cover on it. Although i do not think the bees use it much, it does provide lots of extra ventilation. Could this be a concern as it may set off robbing from the top soon?? How does that Imirie shim work? Can it also encourage robbing?

[dickm]

Any extra entrance gives the colony more to guard. It doesn't "encourage" robbing, but is a factor if it starts. George Imirie invented a simple shim. It's a frame made of 3/4" stock the size of a super. One of the narrow sides has a 2" by 3/8" cut in it. One can put it in the upper stories of a big hive for an upper entrance. George specifies it's use to DRAWN COMB. I have better luck using it above the top super. It sounds good but can lead to the production of burr comb in the space.

Dickm

[Jerry J]

Dick, I like the idea of two inches by three eights but having just purchased five more Imirie Shims from Brushy Mountain Bee Supply. My past Shims and the new ones only measure three quarters by three eights opening. Have offended thought about opening up the width some for a better entrance. I use them above the queen excluder for the bees to go from ten frame to nine frame after passing through the excluder.