[Palmetto bees]

First off, I am sure several of you have seen a thread similar to this but I couldn't find anything in the previous ones that matched my exact situation. Here it is....3 days ago my hive swarmed, so I took a look at both of my hives since it had been about two weeks since I last had a quick peek. The hive that swarmed and the other hive have two deeps for the body and one shallow super on top with an excluder in between. The swarmed hive looked typical of a swarmed hive with some brood, no eggs, queen cell on top of one frame, and less bees than before. Also, both hives had nothing in their supers. Supers were put on two weeks ago with some flow going here in upstate SC. First question is this, why did they swarm with an empty super and room to move up? Second question, what can I do to get them to move up and work the undrawn supers? Third and finally, will I be able to get any surplus honey at all from the swarmed hive? Thanks to all for any help!

 

[concrete-bees]

toss the exculder !!!!

they really dont like that thing - it gets in there way

but really - they dont like to draw comb above that - so take it off the first year and they should head up there

the reason they swarmed was just that -- they got honey bound and thought there was no more room -

on the hive that didnt swarm - you might have to scrap off the capped honey/sugar water and then put the super on above them without the exculder
you want them to have lots of room in the brood box


also - dont try for honey the first year - try for drawn frames and lots of honey for them - they will need 50-70 lbs of honey come november
you will get a frame or two for yourself - but leave the rest to them or come next year you might be a box haver and not a beekeeper
hope this helps

 

[mike haney]

the decision to swarm was made before you put on the super. good luck,mike

 

[beedeetee]

....and you don't have to remove the excluder for the whole year. Just until they start drawing comb up there. Wait until they are working on a couple of frames and then shake the bees off to make sure the queen isn't up there (or find her down below) before you add the excluder back.