Need advice on boxes and super in San Diego

I am in northern San Diego. I have one Flow Hive 2. I got a nuc a week ago and inspected the hive this morning. Of the 3 empty foundation less frames in the brood box, 1 is almost fully drawn, 1 is 3/4 drawn, and 1 doesn’t have anything yet. I saw eggs, a lot of capped brood, and some honey. The queen was present.

The class I took didn’t address these questions.

  1. Do I just use the deep brood box that came with the Flow Hive 2? Or will I need to add another brood box? If so, how do I know when to do this? If not, add the super when the frames are all about 80% capped? But then it matters about nectar flow, right?

Another person here in San Diego answered a similar question in another thread and said she uses 2 brood boxes after she takes the super off in July or August, but she didn’t specify the size.

  1. The same person said the nectar flow around here starts around February is over by early July. This means I don’t want to put the super on until February? And take it off in July?

Thanks for your help!

Maybe you’re referring to @Dawn_SD and I’m sure she’d be happy to clarify.

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That is who I was referring to! I wasn’t sure if I could tag her.

Hello and welcome to the Flow forum. :blush:

You can tag me, by using the @ symbol in front of my screen name, just as @chau06 did. :wink:

You definitely need 2 brood boxes, whether you are using 10 or 8 frame Langstroth size. I use the 80% rule. When the first brood box is:

  1. 80% fully drawn comb
  2. 80% full of brood or food
  3. Completely covered with bees on each frame

At that point you are ready for another brood box (if you only have one), or a super (if you have two brood boxes). The reason for 80% is that then you have enough bees to defend, clean and use the new space.

If you can’t fill a second brood box before July 4th, don’t add the super. Mid to late February next year would be better. In the meantime, I suggest you join the San Diego Beekeeping Society and ask the same questions. Don’t mention Flow hive, just say Langstroth. They are a lively bunch, but not all are Flow friendly. However their local knowledge is excellent.

Ask more questions, you are welcome here! :blush:

Thank you so much!

How deep should the second brood box be?

Langstroth deep - around 9 5/8", I believe, but any standard Langstroth deep (they vary a tiny bit by manufacturer, but the bees don’t care, and it doesn’t matter much) is fine :wink:

Are you an engineer? :blush:

Thank you!

I am not an engineer

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Do I need to feed the bees sugar water when I add the box? @Dawn_SD

Do they need sugar water now?

It will depend on the nectar flow in your area. My bees are in an area with a very unusual microclimate (a lot of marine layer dampness), so your experience may be different. I would say that if you put the second box on, and they are not drawing out the comb after a week, feed them. If you are willing to go to the effort anyway, then you could put the box on and feed them from the start. If there is good nectar in your area, they won’t use the feed, but if that doesn’t matter to you, just go ahead and do it.

:blush:

Thank you so much for your help! How do I know how the nectar flow is?

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A few ways:

  1. Join the San Diego Beekeeping Society and ask an experienced beekeeper in your area. With over 1,000 members, there is bound to be someone. They have a Facebook page too
  2. Look in the hive and see whether they are still drawing comb and laying down uncapped honey stores. By comparing photos from inspections, you will get a pretty good idea
  3. Heft the hive by lifting one side (gently and not too high, so that you don’t squash bees or the queen when the frames shift) and estimate whether it is getting lighter
  4. Buy a hive scale and monitor the weight of the hive. If it is increasing, you have a nectar flow. If it is decreasing, you have a dearth. Expensive option, but the best way to know. You can search the forum for “hive scale” using the magnifying glass tool, if you are interested. Many scales are WiFi, Bluetooth or cellular data enabled now, so they are very good tools

Hope that helps! :blush:

@Dawn_SD checked my hive today and every frame was packed with bees. One frame was almost full and the others were completely full, so I added the second brood box. Hopefully it’s full by July 4! Thanks again for your help!

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@Dawn_SD I was able to put a super on top of the second brood box. Now I’m looking to the future. Do I take the second brood box off at some point?

Only if the bees aren’t using it. I would consider taking the Flow super off soon though. We don’t get much nectar after the beginning of July, and the bees tend to gum it up with propolis if you leave it on. It can stay on if you see that they are actively filling it still, but I would definitely remove it by the beginning of September.

:wink: