[wltwine]

Hello fellow bee keepers, I've got a quick question about my honey super. I put a 10 frame medium honey super on about two months ago in anticipation that my bees would give me some honey before the season ends but to my amazement they really haven't done much of anything, out of 10 frames they have started on maybe one and a half frames, I'm running 2 deeps below the honey super and the super above the brood is full of capped honey. also I have noted that the queen has laid drone brood in the medium honey super. My question is any idea why they are not pulling out the medium super and also any suggestion on what I might do to stimulate the bees to produce more honey, I live in north east North Carolina on the VA Carolina border, any input would be appreciated.

 

[sqkcrk]

The bees don't know that they are honey supers. You'll need to give tem no other choice as to where to put their stores.

 

[honeybeekeeper]

Im having the same problem, i added a med super on top of double deeps (2 hives) on June 20th with queen excluder plus i sprayed the waxed plasticell foundation with sugar/water/HBH on both hives...June 25th took a look and seen nothing, even the bees didnt want no part of passing through the excluder so i took it off! June 30th i checked the med supers from the top vent and still nothing! I ended up pulling a adductor thigh muscle in my leg the next day and today was the first time i was able to crawl with a cane so i went out to the hives and looked inside just to be disappointed! I done everything i know and really have no clue!

 

[beedeetee]

My guess is that in NC and KY the main flow is over and they are using whatever nectar they can find to maintain the hive. They can't find enough to store more surplus.

 

[hpm08161947]

Your guess is good. The flow here in eastern NC is over... so they will not be pulling anymore comb until another flow... which may or may not happen. So if you want comb.... feed 1:1 very heavily. Of course stop when the late summer flow starts.

 

[honeybeekeeper]

hpm08161947 Re: Not much honey in honey super
Your guess is good. The flow here in eastern NC is over... so they will not be pulling anymore comb until another flow... which may or may not happen. So if you want comb.... feed 1:1 very heavily. Of course stop when the late summer flow starts.

So you suggest to leave the med supers on and feed right now until they draw out the comb on the foundation?? I believe there is a short flow in either aug or sept but thats no garauntee! I just dont want a full med super full of sugar water! But if its gonna get me some drawn comb i will hit the hives with some feed...so should i feed 1:1 now and 2:1 in sept??

 

[hpm08161947]

Feed 1:1 now... stop when the comb is built.... they are going to have to build the comb before they can store sugar water in it.

Yup - if you take all the aug/sept honey you will need to feed 2:1 to give them sufficient stores for the winter.

 

[honeybeekeeper]

Im gonna start feeding tomorrow! I will mix up a 5 gallon bucket of feed tonight and it will be ready to add first thing tomorrow! I will feed from the top and cover it with an empty super! Thanks alot!

 

[brac]

of course if you feed while they draw it, you will not have honey in it, you will have sugar syrup in it.

 

[WilliamsHoneyBees]

my hives will start storing sugar water in cells as soon as the cells are drawn out half way. In my opinion the only way to get your frames drawn out into cells with no sugar syrup in them is to wait for the flow to pick back up this fall. Just my two cents, take it with a grain of salt I'm still learning.

 

[honeybeekeeper]

So basically the bees are teaching me to have patients...lol