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Full Super! didn't see this coming

3K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  Mike the Rookie 
#1 ·
Wow. So that came at me fast. Ten days ago they only had honey on the middle six frames and were just starting on the insides of the seventh and eighth. I had been given to understand that I was unlikely to see a harvest my inaugural year, do to the bees getting a late start, (mid April) and that they would need their first year's honey to overwinter.

My initial impulse was to get on the line to the local association about renting an extractor, but now I'm wondering if I shouldn't play it safer and just stack another super on top.

...Then REALLY make out like a bandit next year.

Thoughts?
 
#2 ·
thoughts

you are most likely too late to get the most use of your flow if your super is drawn and filled. by all means put on another super so they can start drawing wax and then curing nectar. good luck,mike
 
#3 ·
I'd throw another super on and go into a "wait and see" mode. If late summer or early fall comes and they have filled the second super, you could pinch a couple frames as a bonus for the 1st year. Just dont get greedy. Maryland is up north more than me (Ohio), so winters should be somewhat colder and longer. I'd want them going into winter with 2 strong boxes. I send all of my hives into winter with 2 boxes full here in Ohio.

Now, on the other hand, I captured a very strong swarm around Memorial weekend that has filled 1 deep and a medium, I will definatly be pinching off of this hive before fall if it continues. Just really depends on the hive strength, the flow, etc. Getting "some" honey off of a new hive is not unheard of though.
 
#4 ·
My first thought: You're not feeding them, right? If you are, then you have a super full of honey flavored sugar syrup.

If not, then there is a great nectar flow going on, congratulations, it is really exciting!

Yup, keep adding those supers on! Better to have an empty super on top than to have a couple of half empty deeps below :eek: (swarming!)
 
#8 ·
My first thought: You're not feeding them, right? If you are, then you have a super full of honey flavored sugar syrup.
I've seen alot of newer beekeepers do this. (not saying that is the case here) In fact, I know of one guy that sold his as honey. He mistakenly assumed that they converted the sugar syrup into raw natural honey. Don't know where he got that idea but I think its more prevalent than people realize.

His wife thought the honey looked too clear so she went to the grocery store and bought some darker honey to mix in.... so it would have the right color. If I didn't know them I would have assumed they were trying to scam people. In this particular case, it was just plain ignorance. The aggrevating part was when people confused us because he copied my roadside signs and they thought they had bought my honey. That is the last thing I need. Adulterated honey that people confuse as mine.

GRRRRRRRRR.
 
#6 ·
It's not unusual to see the weight of a booming hive go down during the summer dearth. There is a lot of hungry mouths to feed and when the flow stops it takes a while to lose the extra mouths that have to be fed.

We pull the spring honey when the bloom stops and put the wet supers back on waiting for the summer crops to kick in if they do. If they don't, then we are ready for the fall flow if there is one. After the fall flow all is pulled and the hives made ready for the winter.

I would pull that full super and put another empty on.
 
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