Thanks! I was wondering why it took so long for the honey to ripen and that space aids in ripening. I have put a medium on top of one flow super to see how it goes. I think it stimulated the capping of the honey in the flow super. Lots to ponder about managing bee space. However, the flow super that has no medium super on top is refilling at a faster rate than the one I harvested last week. I ask because we often see in my area 6 feet or more in bee hives on the 10 frame brood boxes. I counted 7 mediums on one fellows hives. So I was pondering bee space and how I can maximize the use of my flow supers. Thanks @Webclan
That is also because they aren’t using Flow hives.
Twenty-five years ago, I might sometimes have had a hive with 7 boxes, that came up to head height for me. The reason is that during the season I would add another super on top when the others were full, but I wouldn’t take any off until the end of the season. I hated messing up the kitchen more than once in a season, as I was very busy with a full time job. Many other traditional beekeepers feel this way, and harvest all honey in one batch.
With Flow supers, it is so little work that you can do a little and often. No mess in the house. It suits me perfectly, as I don’t have a honey house, extraction shed etc.
I do agree strongly with the point that an empty super above a partially capped one can really speed up the capping though. Tried and tested many times - it works for me.
Interesting. I’ll be checking the hives today and I"ll see what’s going on with the medium super on top of the flow super. The goal is to see how the weak hive is doing. Fingers crossed!
The update on the re Queened hive and my questionable decision. Humid as all get out today and hot! I went through the hives today and was got smacked at the laying pattern on several frames of my donor hive.
I didn’t quite know what to do about the upper brood box as the new queen has a small laying pattern like about the size of a computer mouse pad. Though she and the nurses have done a uniform job of getting 5 frames of capped brood together front and back. So I didn’t disturb it. The lower brood box had great food sources.
I had a struggle in the donor hive of a broken frame and the hive packed with heavy honey but right under the super I found a frame to donate to the other hive.
I’m feeling like the decision to add a frame of brood may or may not be timed right for no scientific reason that I can state but just my gut instinct. But I also feared the hive growing weaker. So I donated this frame below the nucleus of the upper brood box. Fingers crossed peeps.
I’m wondering if I should have waited and reduced down to one brood box as suggested or expand the nucleus of the hive.
What a beautiful frame of brood. I would have placed it in the middle of the nucleus myself. Heat & humidity is what beetles love to breed in. I believe placing it below the nucleus would be fine except for the remote possibility of the beetles getting a chance to lay eggs in it.
So far my beetle traps have been doing a good job but I think I have enough bees to keep them at bay. I hope.I hope the bees hatch soon and get to work! Now I’m worried.
If you have enough bees to keep the beetles at bay, you’ll be fine. Another thing in your favor would be if you have a normal bottom entrance. The field & guard bees would be passing by that frame.
Don’t worry, I think it’ll be fine. cheers