Strong hive has 2 deeps- queen excellent- as of 4 days ago- June 8---super #1 -medium-has all 10 frames- both sides- w capped honey from 20 to 90%; and uncapped honey- from 10-90% full. Super # 2 has @ 30% undrawn comb, 20% capped honey, and @50% uncapped honey. June 8th added super #3 with foundation only-- 0 undrawn comb.. Leaving town for 11 days from this Sunday. Question is this; should I just leave setup as is? OR #2-- move super full of honey to top position??? Appreciate your advice
How to arrange 3 med supers??
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I put the empty supers under the full supers. By keeping empty space above the brood nest you suppress the urge to swarm.
Dave
Dave
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Generally a good rule when adding drawn comb however having a box with undrawn will likely not affect the swarm impulse or so I've read. Perhaps someone with better knowledge will expound. Many will suggest that adding the super above the brood nest will not keep a hive from swarming and I am inclined to believe this. I doubt it will make a difference but if I were in your position I'd switch things and make the partially filled super #1 above the brood boxes, make #2 the full super and add the empty box on top-there is still plenty of room in box #2
Good luck
You didn't say whether or not you are using an excluder, but I'm assuming you aren't, so leaving things as they are is the way I would do it. Even if you were using an excluder, I would do it the same way, as long as there is a good flow going, the bees will cross boxes of honey to get to foundation and draw it. I never bottom super foundation or drawn comb, and it works just fine, as I said, as long as there is a good flow going and they need more storage space.
So do I, they really are not the evil devices that some people portray them as.
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Oh yes they are!
Oh no they aren't!
Oh yes they are!
Oh no they aren't!
Repeat
Personally I would never use an excluder when trying to draw new comb regardless of the flow and I only use excluders when I absolutely have to. I don't avoid them due to any honey storage theories. I just find it easier to deal with less equipment. When I have a hive with only one box of undrawn on it I let them draw it out and I check it and rotate the frames from middle to outside. Once there is honey in the cells the queen seems very reluctant to lay on the frame and if she does I put those frames to the outside and the brood will hatch out of them. The queen gets put down and the flow takes care of the rest. Wet frames are a natural queen excluder.
BTW-if you have an excluder on still (I don't know if you remove it after the supers get filled or not) then by all means remove it so the bees will get up to the undrawn frames. Maybe spraying the frames will get the bees to go through and draw foundation but I've never had luck getting them to draw out comb above an excluder. It certainly will make them draw a ton of burr and brace comb-grrrrrrrrrrr
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but, personally I disagree with everything you said.
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Oh believe me, it isn't opinion, it's all fact. It has to be because I read it on the internet.Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but, personally I disagree with everything you said.
I believe that once you have drawn comb above an excluder, the bees will work whatever you put up there.
The problem is nothing but foundation or empty frames above an excluder.
I usually put empty foundation under the filled supers, as this seems to get it drawn faster, but unless you have a good flow and sufficient bees, they won't do much with it no matter where you put it.
Peter
The problem is nothing but foundation or empty frames above an excluder.
I usually put empty foundation under the filled supers, as this seems to get it drawn faster, but unless you have a good flow and sufficient bees, they won't do much with it no matter where you put it.
Peter
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