Supers still on Hives----Need Help.

Cossack · March 13, 2011, 12:09:43 AM

It was a warm day today approx. 65 degrees. I checked on my 9 hives. They were actively bringing in maple pollen. I had left a super on each hive over the winter. I have also been feeding them "Winter Patties" to help them get through the cold season.

I had noticed the queen had laid eggs in the supers that I left on the hives. I reversed the boxes and put the small super on the bottom board and then the brood boxes on top. Then put additional winter patties up on top. Will this move the queen up ward so I can retrieve the super for the spring flow?????

Any suggestions???????

Thanks in Advance. :-\

rdy-b · March 13, 2011, 04:05:33 AM

there was no need to reverse the boxes-put them back as they where and use queen excluder
let the brood hatch out and retrieve the supper or keep it on for the flow-RDY-B

Cossack · March 14, 2011, 11:23:04 PM

What if the queen is stuck on top of the queen excluder?

iddee · March 14, 2011, 11:31:38 PM

1...What you are doing will likely work.

2...If you had left them alone, she would move down into the deep during the honey flow. As soon as there was enough honey to fill the super, that's where it would be. They always store honey around and above the brood. Never under it.

rdy-b · March 14, 2011, 11:42:49 PM

Quote from: Cossack on March 14, 2011, 11:23:04 PM
What if the queen is stuck on top of the queen excluder?

just drive the bees down with smoke-if theres dought roll through the frames and shake the into lower box
then place excluder-myself i try to keep honey suppers white wax-no dark comb from brood-so i would keep her out of the supper as soon as poible -but yes in time she will move down as long as you dont put another box on-but
she may loade it up with brood in the mean time -and thats not wht you want--RDY-B

hankdog1 · March 15, 2011, 12:02:02 AM

if you use the queen excluder remember to prop the top to allow for a top entrance in case you have any drone brood. They are just a little big to get past the queen excluder.

rdy-b · March 15, 2011, 01:03:47 AM

Quote from: hankdog1 on March 15, 2011, 12:02:02 AM
if you use the queen excluder remember to prop the top to allow for a top entrance in case you have any drone brood. They are just a little big to get past the queen excluder.

thats a good point hankdog- :) RDY-B

Brian D. Bray · March 15, 2011, 08:42:27 PM

Why worry about the queen laying in the super? I give my queens as much brood space as they desire knowing that they will back fill any brood area out side the normal brood chamber after mid season. If the queen wants 3 boxes for brood she gets 3 boxes, the same for 4 or even 5 (I use all mediums). The more bees that can be produced prior to honey flows the more honey the bees will produce.

More bees = more honey. Bees back fill supers later in season = no worries.

rdy-b · March 15, 2011, 08:49:56 PM

yes thats all true but he was speaking about his honey supper
if he dosent mind the brood thats fine-but myself and perhaps others i
use dedicated honey suppers that never see brood rearing-this is more
effort but i feel it is worth this effort for storing my suppers and the dreaded wax moth
when my flow starts its go time and cleaning out fouled comb is just not part of the game plan
its just how i do it-many others use what ever is available at the time of need--RDY-B

NasalSponge · March 15, 2011, 09:05:41 PM

My queens did the same thing and the bees have just about pushed them out of the supers already. I am putting a big B on the sides of my supers that have had brood in them so if I want I can extract them separately, in any case I will know which ones to leave on the hive next fall if they do not have sufficient stores for winter. :)