I have standard Flow Hive set up with a deep brood box and Flow Super on top. I want to add another Medium brood box. Should I add it near the end of this season or wait until next spring to make the addition? Was wondering it the extra space would help thru the winter. I live in eastern North Carolina, so we have cold but not severe. Thanks for your help
Adding a medium is a great idea if your colony is strong enough and there’s still abundant nectar out there. This late in the season there might not be. Think of it like any super and ask what your local beeks are doing - if they’re inclined to add supers at this point then it’s prob ok. I put mediums on top of my Flow supers once they start filling, which helps boost airflow for nectar curing in the humid weather here in SE PA. Then in fall when it’s time to remove the Fsuper the medium goes on top of the deep for overwintering.
Thanks so much. I haven’t thought of placing above the super… good idea.
Hello Everyone,
I have a similar question but a bit different. ![]()
One of my hives exploded in population this year, I was able to manage it well enough to prevent a swarm but it was close ! Currently I have brood box, excluder, deep super (full of capped honey for the winter), Flow Super, medium super. The issue I’m having is there are sooooo many bees they cover the front of the box and around the sides in the evenings. Lots of ‘wash boarding’ behavior as well. And here in Ontario Canada we just heading into a dry spell(dearth)
It’s to late in the year to do a split but I’m worried they still might swarm, should I add another medium super or just ride it out unto the fall?
Thx for any input
D
The best way to prevent a late-season swarm is to provide a sense of expansion within the hive.