Oops super on too long!

[Rosieriveter]

In the fall I put a super back on one of my hives after extracting so the bees could clean up the frames. After a few days I checked again & they were still really busy cleaning so I left it. Time got away from me& I left it on all winter. I know bad beekeeping! I went out today & it's about 48 degrees & there are tons of bees in that hive & of course they don't want to get out of the super. What should I do? That hive is really aggressive so it's not too fun to work with.

[psfred]

Leave them, they know what to do. All that empty comb above the brood nest will hopefully convince them they need to stuff the hive with store and not swarm this spring.

Check to see if they have adequate stores (you can just lift the rear of the hive to check for weight -- if you can't budge the hive with one hand, it's fine) and if they don't you need to feed if there is no nectar yet.

Peter

[millerdrr]

I have a hive that consists of a single deep brood box and a shallow super. Almost all of the bees plus the queen were in the super two days ago, with some capped brood and honey (stored sugar syrup). I rotated the super to the bottom and put the hive-top feeder back on. It was misting and overcast, in the low 60s...didn't use smoke...bees were not amused. That was the sixth gallon I've feed, and a few in the hive had pollen, so I'm hoping I didn't rotate too early.

[wadehump]

After I extract my supers they all go back on some on swarms and splits some on really strong hives. The strong hives may fill in a week or 2 if the flow is good and the splits and swarms could use the help with not having to expend resources for comb building.

[wadehump]

Bees in the super and you moved to the bottom and put a hive top feeder on. The bees have to travel thru the deep to get to the top lots of work for a hive that has shrank in size due to winter die off. If you get a cold snap for very long it could be a problem.

[millerdrr]

Bees in the super and you moved to the bottom and put a hive top feeder on. The bees have to travel thru the deep to get to the top lots of work for a hive that has shrank in size due to winter die off. If you get a cold snap for very long it could be a problem.

Everything I've read since then told me it was way too early for me to rotate, but hopefully the warm weather will forgive my mistake. It was near 70 degrees and sunny today, and the hive had a booming population. We've caught swarms as early as mid-March, so I'm crossing my fingers that I didn't screw up too bad.

[Solomon Parker]

Nothing wrong with leaving supers on. I leave mine on year 'round.