Too Many Supers, Working Too Fast!

**Rex Piscator** · 08-05-2011, 06:42 PM

That is my DIY screened bottom board with a sliding tray insert, in the rear. I made it extra deep under the screen to not allow any mites easy access back into the hive[when I do eventually find them]. The screen carries forward to provide the 'screened porch'/landing board which sticks out a tad. I also made the stands myself, with a dadoed 3/4" groove for the SSB. It all fits together nicely and looks nice,

. The stand is designed as well as the SSB to have a clean fall with no ledges for bugs to grab onto. I've been trying to figure some kind of pollen trap 'add-on'.... I just finished my portable stand which was taken from a Thread here and that helps, that glass table became quite unstable with 2 full medium supers on it! LOL...that was okay for when the hives where just packages starting out. They're both way beyond that now, the yellow hive swarmed and I captured that a few weeks ago. I'm putting together a hive for my buddy and will truck it there in a week or so.

**kincade** · 08-05-2011, 06:56 PM

Originally Posted by Rex Piscator

The wood is almost all Mann Lake 'select' supers. After seeing so many 'dipped' boxes[really like the color & texture], and not being able to reproduce the look, I choose to go with a clear oil-based finish, 5-6 coats. "Varathane: Spar Urethane" was the product I used. I can get almost a 5 medium box8-frame supers covered with about a quart.

Looks spectacular!

**BeeGhost** · 08-06-2011, 10:58 PM

Very nice Rex!! Looks like a great harvest is in store for you this fall, or sooner!! Congrats, especially on your first year of bees!! Im still waiting on my first 10 frame medium super to get filled out, 5 frames are full as of today! I am running 2 deeps for the brood/food.

You better buy some scaffolding to keep up with the bees!!................Jason

**EastSideBuzz** · 08-06-2011, 11:34 PM

Extract a box or two and put them back. Why add more.?

**Sherillynn** · 08-07-2011, 08:08 AM

You have a really nice setup and some nice hives. Great work!

**KQ6AR** · 08-07-2011, 12:10 PM

Looks good.
Don't think you'll need to leave the 4th med on for winter. You're bees should be putting honey in the 3rd for winter.
You could always extract the 4th one in the spring if they didn't need it. Remember to remove the excluder if you leave it for winter.

**Rex Piscator** · 08-07-2011, 12:48 PM

Yes, the plan is to remove the excluder come winter. The 3rd box is already pretty full of surplus for the colony. I also include in each hive, 2 'foundationless' frames I assembled myself. The comb I've seen built in these frames is drone and they must like this arrangement[lots of honey storage as well]; as my drones are all seem to be huge and I have a good percentage of them as a whole of the population.

I hadn't planned on extracting this year, which is why I'm behind the 8-ball on space and the mechanics of extraction. I have no way to extract right now, aside from finding someone fairly local to the San Francisco bay area and negotiating some exchange. Plus, I've never done this before[pull supers/frames for extraction] and am just now looking at methods of clearing the supers....

**bluegrass** · 08-07-2011, 02:12 PM

What do you have for foundation? If your on plastic you can easily scrape the comb out of them and strain the honey out, then throw them back on the hive to be redrawn.

Wax foundation you could uncap and let gravity do the work for you, just hang the frames in a plastic tub with a lid for a few days and then put them back on the hive for clean up. With this method you may need to develop a warming box to help the gravity pull the honey out of the frame.