Adding a Super

[DayValleyDahlias]

Hi All,

I am preparing to add a super.  Any special tricks to it?


Thanks

[Kathyp]

honey or brood?

[DayValleyDahlias]

A honey super!  haha

[Kathyp]

lucky you to be able to do it so early!  i'll tell you what i did and other do it differently.

i put my honey supers on without a queen excluder.  when i could see they were working it well, i added the queen excluder.  they continued to work it and i got quite a bit of honey off a first year hive.  you do have to make sure you don't trap your queen in the honey super.  it only took a couple of days from adding supers, to adding excluder.

some people don't use a queen excluder.  they don't mind the bit brood they get.  that part is up to you. 

[Understudy]

Hi All,

I am preparing to add a super.  Any special tricks to it?


Thanks

Yes, many tricks. First before you add it. Explain to your bees that this is part of the lease agrement. They get a good home in exchange for honey. The bees will understand and agree with your terms.
Second. Add the super after you have removed the top. Then put the top over the super. Do not put the super over the the top cover. Bees are lazy and refuse to fill supers with honey if the top cover is in the way.
Third. You must get the queen to sign a no brood contract. An agreement with the workers does not mean the queen will honor it. She writes very tiny so you have to look closely to make sure she signed it.
Fourth: Tell the bees to avoid the edges until the super has been placed. So they don't get squished. If they get squished they get mad and honor their contract by stinging you.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[doak]

I don't know about this early super addition.
The 5 hives I had to come through the winter, then the 2 swarms I got, one the last week in March and the second Easter week end.
Well I have got to pull some because my waxfoundation hasen't arrived yet.
The warm weather we had here the last of March and the first week in April did a job on my supers.
I have no less than two full capped supers and 4 on one or two colonies.
Guess I'm  just lucky, those bees did their job this spring.  "And" its a long till the end of June' Thats when my main sources end. I don't migrate. I wish all of you this kind of crop.
doak

[DayValleyDahlias]

LOL..I love this forum, and the humor as well as excellent advise...The folks I got my bees from told me to add the super this week..go figureI do what they tell me to...I would rather just have the little brood box forever, but oh well...

I will work on not squishing a one!