When should I add the super

Thank you for mentioning that you are in Israel. From this, we know that you will have nectar dearths (reduced nectar flow) and a winter season (even if it isn’t harsh). With that in mind, I would strongly recommend that you get a second brood box to put under the first before you add the Flow super. Any 8-frame Langstroth deep box would be fine, but if you want a matching box, you can order one from the Flow web site. Your colony is much more likely to survive the winter and periods when nectar is scarce if you have 2 boxes.

The general rule for adding space to a hive is to wait until the existing frames all have lots of drawn comb on them, and the comb is about 80% full of brood, honey or pollen. You want most of the comb to be covered with bees, because when you add a box, the colony now has a lot more space to keep warm and defend from robbers and pests. The need to have enough bees to do this.

So I would do the following in your situation:

  1. Leave the hive at one box for now, and inspect weekly to assess how much comb has been drawn and filled by the bees.
  2. Order (or buy locally) as second deep brood box.
  3. When the comb is fully drawn and 80% full, add the second brood box.
  4. When the second brood box is also fully drawn comb and 80% full, consider adding the Flow super if you are still expecting nectar flow this year. I live in California, USA, with a very similar climate to yours. I am not expecting to harvest my Flow hive this year - for the bees to succeed, it is better for them to build up their own stores first in at least 2 brood boxes. Next year, they should have a fantastic start in the spring, and maybe we will get some honey if we have enough rain! :smile:

Hope that helps.

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