Add the super without the queen excluder

[Luca]

Hi,

I should add the super soon.
I’m a new beekeper so I only have new frames (with foundation) in a new super.
Would it be a good idea to add the super without the queen excluder until the girls build all the cells?

I will then check when the work is done and look for the queen to be in the brood box.
At this stage I would add the queen excluder.
Thank you,

[Dawn_SD]

@Luca

Would it be a good idea to add the super without the queen excluder until the girls build all the cells?

Definitely not. As soon as they seal the gaps, the queen may be tempted to lay drones up there. Especially if you have a good nectar flow right now. That would totally ruin your harvest with the yuck factor of squashed drone larvae and larval poo in the honey.

The problem is that they don’t do the sealing in a human logical fashion. They tend to seal a few in the middle first, before working out to the edges. As soon as a few cells are available, queenie can have her wicked way with your Flow super.

[Luca]

Ok, bad idea Lol
Thank you!

[Dawn_SD]

Not exactly a bad idea, but a risky one. @FrederickDunn has tried it out and released some nice YouTube videos of his experience. He doesn’t recommend it.

[Faroe]

Here are some nice pics and reasons why you wouldn’t want to do it

Brood in Flow frames

I just completed my Spring inspection for my flow hive. It is a 10 frame (7 Flow frame) set up with 2 brood boxes and the Flow super. I haven’t run a queen excluder, however after today I think I will. Two weeks ago I put the second brood box in at the bottom (a nadairing type of arrangement). The inspection showed the flow frames to be full of brood (a good pattern too). The hive is strong with lots of brood and some food, but not an abundance. There were no queen cells, so it appears that s…

Brood in flow frames really a problem?

Being part of several different beekeeping groups and talking to local beekeepers around me (midwest United States), I have learned that the norm around me for hive setup includes using either two or three deeps for brood chambers and then supering WITHOUT a queen excluder. Most people around me actually call them “honey excluders”. Of course, most of these folks are beeks who are not currently using flow frames. These folks would also say that they are not in the least worried about the quee…

[Luca]

Thank you very much!

[Peter48]

Add the Super when the brood box has about 80% of the cells in use with brood, pollen or nectar/honey. Then fit the queen excluder on top of the brood box then the super on top of the queen excluder.
Regards Luca

[Faroe]

You’re welcome Better to ask beforehand, and learn from others previous experience.