We had a bee utiful day on the OBX today.
It was 60 ish and my girls were bringing in pollen.
One hive had the top super almost completely full of honey.
And plenty of bees on it. The queen had the center frames with larve and capped brood and she was busy.
I took the bottom super of drawn rcomb and reversed the hives.
My second hive had almost all the top super filled with honey
And lots of bees and the bottom looked the same.
I was going to take frames out of both to check but they really were ill with me.
It looked like the bottom super was filled with honey also and alot of bees.
Question
Should I add a super on top of these two with foundation or put it on the bottom?
Or remove the top super frames of honey and save them for later?
I would keep adding supers. In fact, I would throw two empties on them since they're filling them up so fast. If you have a place to store one of the full ones, then by all means, store it.
"Generally" you want to keep honey 'above' the broodnest. Reversing is one way to do so. Backfilling honey (honey bound?) below the broodnest indicates there is room needed 'above' for honey and 'below' for eggs/brood. Reversing can accomplish this 'if' empty comb or frames are provided for egg laying, along with supers placed above.......and you'll also slow the desire to swarm :) by providing the room to expand in both directions.
If your not actually having a flow and it's cool, don't rush to super them. You did not say if it was all capped or is there white wax and open nectar. Giving them too much empty space too early will slow the development of the colony.When brood starts hatching they can go through the honey pretty quickly. It takes close to a frame of honey to raise a frame of brood.
Ken beat me too it. You did not say they are bringing it in or is it left from last year. If no flow coming in you could put yourself in a feed shortage situation if you remove it. You are not far up the road and swarm season is definitely just around the corner a few weeks -- late march or early April time frame. At least for me. May be a little later this year due to weather and bloom.
Is the foundation drawn or new foundation. If drawn I would checkerboard in particular if you have some more drawn foundation. Look up Walt Wright. If it is not drawn and they are indeed crowded for space I would add a super of foundation on top. You said you did not make it too the bottom supper. Most likely have space there and have worked their way up.
Im thinking i will add a super on top with new foundation.
The bottom super lookd like it wss full of honey abd I saw it was filled with bees
I will add a super with new foundation on top and let them roll.
Here is a quote from a post I put on our local forum.
If you reverse them, are you putting the open and capped brood right next to the open screen, the coldest area of the hive? It's supposed to be near 20 degrees next week.
Iddee
Yes I did reverse the supers but I have kept the screened bottom board
Covered still.
I helped a friend last week in Roper, NC get ready to move hives for pollinating blueberry crops. When we checked the hives we found one with two capped queen cells on the bottom frames of the top super.
Is your bottom entrance open. At 20 to 25 degrees, what will be the temp at the bottom of your brood nest?
Iddee
I will switch them back tomorrow morning as soon as it starts warming up.
Thanks