Why only one box of foundation at a time?

**rkr** · 05-06-2012, 05:09 PM

I have always heard, and always followed, the time honored advise of adding only one honey super with foundation at a time until that one is 80% drawn and then add another. I also have always used ten frames of foundation in a ten frame super with the frames centered, and tight to one another.

My question is this, what will the bees likely do if I add 2 or even 3 supers of foundation with 10 frames in a ten frame box centered and tight to one another? My guess is that they will "chimney" up the middle before they fill out the edges, but will they eventually fill the frames? I am using wired wax w/ cross wires.

Thanks for any experience you share; I am curious, but not curious enough to want the mess, if it has been done before with a negative result.

Rod

**beeware10** · 05-06-2012, 05:34 PM

the quicker that bees draw fdn the better job they do. given too much they will chew around the wires and draw drone. they should not be given more than one super at a time with no queen excluder. also they need a good honey flow.

**standman** · 05-06-2012, 08:16 PM

This spring I added two supers of 9 and 10 frame foundation to my hives (all double deeps). They all did great! No problems with chimney-ing or stealing wax from one box to draw another. And I added these in February. They even handled the foundation in 9 frame boxes without a problem.
If you have time and can work them, I am sure it is safer to put them on a box at at time, but I was afraid with the early spring that the bees would get ahead of me.

**throrope** · 05-06-2012, 08:44 PM

I've followed the rules with no success and ignored them with no problems. Too many differences between location, keepers and bees for one size fits all.

**MrHappy** · 05-06-2012, 09:24 PM

I thought the same as a bunch of people, hey try it and see what happens. I put two boxes on to see what would happen. In mine, above an excluder, they filled out a few on the first box and when right to the top box. I have a top entrance and now they seem to be ignoring the first box and crowding in the top one. Only a few bees in the first. I'm going to see what happens if I now put another one on top of these. I'm guessing they will ignore the one box and fill in the top one.

**Michael Bush** · 05-06-2012, 10:11 PM

As someone pointed out, the only real danger is that they will chew up the comb and/or it may get hot and buckle. But otherwise there is no impending disaster if you put more than one on. If you have a good reason, like you won't be available to put them on one at a time for whatever reason, then put on more if you need to.

**rkr** · 05-07-2012, 06:43 AM

Thank you all. I appreciate the info.

It's good to have it before you I need it.

I'm keeping up right now, but you never know when you will need to bend a rule.

My operation is growing fast.

Rod

**juzzerbee** · 05-07-2012, 06:55 AM

Why don't people add a queen excluder when putting on the first honey super? Isn't the idea for the super to have honey in it and not the queen in there laying eggs? I ask because I am a newbee and have these similar questions. Thanks, juzzerbee.

**psfred** · 05-07-2012, 08:28 AM

If you put on a queen excluder and have only foundation, the bees seem to be much more reluctant to do anything with the foundation, instead considering the excluder to be the top of the hive. An upper entrance, even just above the excluder, helps, but drawn comb works better.

I don't know of anyone locally using queen excluders routinely on production hives, but I don't know all that many people. Some beeks swear by them, others won't use them except for a specific purpose -- you may do whatever you like.

The drawbacks to adding a number of supers with only foundation in them are that the bees may ignore them, or chew out wax around the edges if there isn't a flow on, and if the hive population declines before the fill them, the bees cannot patrol the hive properly, allowing pests like wax moths more room to cause trouble. None of these will be bad enough in the short term to prevent you from adding extra if you don't think you will be able to get back to them in time to prevent the hive from running out of storage room and swarming.

Peter

**beedeetee** · 05-07-2012, 01:47 PM

Back in the 1980's when I started keeping bees, I ordered packages, set my two deep hive boxes with foundation up together and then added the bees from the package in the boxes. I don't remember if I put them in the top or bottom box, but the bees did fine and I never knew that I shouldn't do that. I think that in spring when we get packages that the nectar flows are such that the bees don't get as bored and start making holes in the foundation. They obviously don't need both boxes at first and you may need to rotate some frames that get left (bottom box on the ends) undrawn to the center at some point, but it will all work.