[Matt_inSC]

A few of my hives started swarm cells before any preventative measures by me this year so I’m behind the curve now on honey supers. Between the swarm prep and the time before new queens started laying they’ve packed a lot of honey into the brood area (which for me is 3 8frame medium boxes) with most of the 3rd box full of capped honey. Now that the queens are laying and I have a honey super on (4th box above a QEx) are the bees likely to move honey up into the super to make room for their newly laying queen? And if so, anything I could do to encourage it?

 

[Fivej]

I've found that if you want the bees to do something,they will likely not do it. I assume you do not have drawn comb or else you could remove the whole box and replace with comb. Some things I have read here might work: Scrape the cappings on frames you want them to move honey from, put 2 frames of open brood above excluder in your honey super. I haven't tried either method. Another possibility that I have done is to remove that box of capped honey, extract it and replace on hive. J

 

[ffrtsaxk]

FiveJ's advice is good. From what I have seen watching them in my observation hive, they really do not like to move capped honey, but will sometimes move uncapped honey to make room for the queen. Capped honey usually sits there until they decide they need to eat it.

 

[Matt_inSC]

Thanks for the feedback. I may try simply pulling the 3rd box of capped honey and see if they get to work on the honey super (which is indeed drawn comb).

 

[elmer_fud]

Another option is to add the super below the stack of boxes you already have. From the sounds if it your hive will move the brood chamber down and then you will not have to try to get them to move the honey already in the hive around.

 

[Roland]

If they have room below the excluder, probably not. If you had a single deep, and a newly hatched queen, for sure they would move it, even into basswood section boxes.

Crazy Roland

 

[Jadeguppy]

Why not harvest the capped honey and give them back the comb? You can mix the now empty comb in the brood area and pull the uncapped honey up to the top box. Presto, open brood area and honey for you.
Do you have a queen excluder on?