[Bird Dog One]

2 year BK rookie question. When should one add a new super to hive? Current super has about 75% drawn comb and being filled with honey now. No capped honey yet. Should you add super now or wait until they start capping honey.
Thanks.

 

[MaydayMalone]

Over super in the Spring. Don't wait for them to draw it out before putting another honey super on. In VA, your major nectar flow should have already started. Here in PA, it starts around June 1st. Give them plenty of space to store that nectar. Depending on the strength of the hive, I usually throw 3 mediums on in early May. They have one of them completely full already and are starting to move up.

 

[Bird Dog One]

Over super in the Spring. All I have is undrawn frames. Is that okay? Thanks for your help.

 

[psfred]

They can't fill it if it's not on the hive!

Undrawn foundation is fine, it does not attract wax moths nor does it give small hive beetles a place to hide. I was told to add one box at a time of foundation, under the current box being drawn with a couple frames that are being worked or are capped from the first box swapped into the new one. On strong flow they will draw it out pretty fast, and I'm thinking of putting yet another box on my big strong hive since they are running out of room. Swarmed last week though, so they may slow down some.

If they don't draw it out and fill it, they may chew it some, but that won't hurt. They will accept it better next year since it has propolis on it and smells more like a hive even if they don't do anything with it this year.

Peter