Checking on the girls before work and noticed a bunch outside the hive. Not moving or buzzing or fanning, just kinda sitting there. It was cooler overnight, probably down to 13-14C (55-57F), I guess it could be all the bees are home and the hive is full? Still the odd few bees coming and going, they'll be fairly active later when it warms up. They've filled about 90-95% of the bottom 8 frame deep brooder but still have a fair ways to go on the deep honey super above them. Still at least 3 frames empty and mostly drawn comb with some filled but not much capped. I have another empty 8 frame medium as a 2nd brood box if needed but just wondering if this seems normal? I'm still new, but I think this is nothing to worry about...
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That is known as bearding. It's a good sign. It will be exceptionally good when it looks like this.
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Oh, sweet, thanks! So would it be prudent to put the extra super on? As a medium brooder above the main brood box? Or not worry about it?
Mamm,
It depends on your flow. My large hives that I just removed honey supers are bearding but there in no nectar coming in. I have not put supers back on and won?t until I can find a place where there is a flow on that I can move my bees to.
Jim Altmiller
Hard to say with it cool like it is now, they slow down, but blackberries around here have been huge the last 2-3 weeks but almost done. They've drawn a fair bit of comb in the upper honey super but little capped honey. There's more capped honey in the brood box. When I inspect this weekend again, I'll see if there's more queen cups and if they've filled all the bottom brood chamber frames. If so I may put the medium super on between the bottom brooder and top honey as a 2nd brooder.
If there are capped honey frames in the brood box and empty cell or undrawn frames in the upper box, I would trade them. Give her more room to lay in the brood box and encourage them to draw any foundation not drawn now.
All the capped honey in the brood box is either on a brood frame or on the other side of it. There may be one solo honey frame. If so I?ll swap it out. There?s a LOT of brood down below.