Feral bees not moving up into honey super

JP · May 17, 2006, 04:59:34 PM

One of my feral hives is doing beautifully, but they aren't moving up into a medium super. The second deep that I added, quite a while ago, can't really remember when, is full of honey, some brood, but they don't seem to want to move up and draw comb in the medium super. Am I being impatient or is there something I can do to bolster them into drawing up? Bees are in the medium, of course just hanging out. The honey flow is on and I would like to get them going. I have a Russian hive that has two deeps and two mediums and they are going to town on the honey. I may need to add a third medium for this hive soon, cause they are just packin' it on. Any thoughts, ideas, welcomed. Thnx, JP.

Kirk-o · May 17, 2006, 05:59:01 PM

Hey Buddy
Put a frame or two of brood up there they will move up then
kirko

JP · May 17, 2006, 06:35:42 PM

Kirko, I really don't want brood in the medium, would like to use it for honey production only,but thnx for the response, JP.

TwT · May 17, 2006, 07:43:55 PM

I think he means to put a couple frames of brood from the bottom deep to the top deep , not the medium.....

Michael Bush · May 17, 2006, 09:48:30 PM

Do you have an excluder on? Is there a flow? They draw comb when they need to. They expand when they need to. They don't if they don't need to.

JP · May 17, 2006, 11:50:16 PM

No, I do not have an excluder on. I guess I am just being a little impatient as I was hoping to get a surplus from this hive. I will let them work at their own pace. It does seem that the second deep is pretty full so it is probably inevitable that they will move up. It's just that I am comparing them to one of my other hives that is Russian and I checked them again this evening(the Russian hive) and it looks like they need their 3rd honey super, they are bustin' it! The flow is on. I have some chinese tallow nearby and the bees are also working privet.

Michael Bush · May 19, 2006, 01:08:04 AM

You are doing all you can to LET them (by not using the excluder) so I'd be paitient. If you they are really strong you can bait them up to the next box by putting a couple of frames of brood up there.

Brian D. Bray · May 19, 2006, 03:44:39 PM

Baiting is a good way to get the bees to move up but can be done with either brood or honey frames, although brood frames work better. I use shallows throughout so I don't have to work about what frame fits where and so that everything is of a size I can handle from a wheelchair. I can run 2,3, or 4 brood chambers and move frames where ever I need them, knowing that once the brood has hatched from frames in the honey supers that they will be filled with honey.