No Honey

[urbanpharmer]

Early in March 2011 I added a half super with a queen excluder. I just checked my hive on May 3 and the bees had not even begun to build comb on this new super.

Before adding the new super, my hive was completely full of bees and all most all frames had been built out with comb. The hive was started from a swarm in August 2010 and has been thriving until now.

Any thoughts on why no honey or even comb building?

[MDS]

Assuming you had enough bees that they would move up and need to draw more comb, I'm guessing lack of nector flow required for comb building. If not, I'd like to also have a more experienced beekeeper respond. Wish I had a frame of drawn comb to put into a new medium to maybe get them to move up and work it early.

[dixiebeeco]

I usually have really good luck with brushing or spraying slightly diluted honey onto the new frames that you put above the excluder. The bees don't like to go through the excluder, but if there is some honey up there, they will be up there in a few hours. Make sure to add a feeder above the inner cover to help them fill out the frames with the sugar water and not use up any new nectar to make wax.

[MDS]

Make sure to add a feeder above the inner cover to help them fill out the frames with the sugar water and not use up any new nectar to make wax.

I'm going to try that one, thanks for the idea. Going down right now to put on the top feeder on that hive.

[wood0428]

feed, feed, feed and feed some more. feed your bees with 2/1 sugar water and they will draw out the comb very quick. Make sure that you pull the feeder before they start putting honey in it because they will start to put the sugar water in there and not honey.

[Acebird]

Both times we had a hard time getting the bees to draw out new foundation. The minute we removed the excluder they filled it right up. It is almost like the queen has to give the troops the approval to start loading the foundation up when it is new. I don't know how it works if the comb is already drawn out.

[chrissv]

feed, feed, feed and feed some more. feed your bees with 2/1 sugar water and they will draw out the comb very quick. Make sure that you pull the feeder before they start putting honey in it because they will start to put the sugar water in there and not honey.

This has always confused me (I am in my 3rd year as a beek): if I feed sugar water to encourage drawing out the comb in a super indended for honey accumulation, what keeps the bees from putting the sugar water in the comb they just drew out? Is it a simple matter of timing? How attentive do I have to be - are weekly inspections adequate to "catch" when the bees start filling the comb with sugar water?

Thanks - Steven

[hoodswoods]

Be sure all the frames are in the hive body in their normal position - you can remove a frame or 2 later if you want to try & increase your yield. Do not exclude the queen until after they start building comb (as noted in an earlier post), otherwise they will be reluctant to cross the excluder (notes from my mentor).

[beedeetee]

They won't draw comb without putting anything in it, so you can't feed to draw out this years honey supers. You can feed it back and use them next year. But really you just need patience. Bees draw comb incredibly fast on a honey flow. You don't need to try to get it drawn early.

[tommyt]

Pull that excluder out
and hope you have a good flow going
all the best

Tommyt

[Fuzzy]

Urbanpharmer,

The most likely scenario is that your bees have been busy filling the brood box with honey instead of using the super. You are now about to run out of room and the hive will swarm.

[indypartridge]

if I feed sugar water to encourage drawing out the comb in a super indended for honey accumulation, what keeps the bees from putting the sugar water in the comb they just drew out?

Nothing. I know some beekeepers recommend feeding so the bees will draw out honey supers, but you'll get exactly what you said: comb filled with sugar water. If I have honey supers on the hive, I don't feed, regardless of whether the comb is drawn or not. As Beedeetee said, they will draw out comb incredibly fast during a honey flow.

[Beaver Dam]

I think it's a matter of lack of necter. Our spring was not to good this year. What say others?

[Growing Boy]

I've found that Texas has been a pretty dicey place this year. General drought has reduced forage to a minimum. Being around a small town has helped me because of all the ornamental plantings. I've got 6, 50 foot magnolia trees within a half a mile I'm hoping to pull off the season, (or at least keep the girls healthy.) Bees are very energy efficient and don't do anything they don't have to do. I have come to the opinion that excluders are not very useful. (Let's not start that discussion here.) Seems like you are angling for a honey harvest as opposed to a healthy hive. Nix the excluder, keep the super, let them build as they feel the need. If you get impatient, pull a couple of frames and put them in the super to entice them. A large healthy hive at this point is a good option.
If you want honey, hope for a fall flow. Last year my girls put away an unneeded medium super of goldenrod honey in November. Keep thinking ahead.

[MDS]

I can check the one hive I'm top feeding with no drawn comb in the honey super daily just by taking a peak under the hood and sliding the feeder over. The day they start drawing comb in it is the day I'm removing the super because I don't want sugar water stored in the honey super. This is just an experiment on my part because I don't have any drawn mediums that I can put in my honey super. Just wondering if it will make a difference if they get started building comb in terms of encouraging more bees to move up. Don't have a queen excluder on it either and the center of the box below is brood so there is no line of honey to discourage her from laying above other than what' on the brood frame.

We are not in a honey flow as of yet. Or would most likely be a non issue in terms of building comb. Appreciate the ideas you all gave on this matter. Still learning and learning and learning.