Honey super is full. What next

Local question related to beekeeping in the Piedmont Triad area asked and answered here!

Moderators: Jacobs, Wally

Post Reply
chemicalmaker
Newbee
Posts: 11
Joined: Wed Oct 11, 2017 11:04 am

Honey super is full. What next

Post by chemicalmaker »

My honey super is full but mostly from sugar water. Not sure what to do next. The frames are full of comb and honey but not all capped. Should I wait and let the bees cap all the honey before putting new honey frames on?
Jacobs
Guard bee
Posts: 1887
Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 12:36 pm
Location: Greensboro, NC

Re: Honey super is full. What next

Post by Jacobs »

If they have drawn 6 of 8 (8 frame) or 8 of 10 (10 frame), it is time to add another super & frames. You want to get as much drawn comb as you can. It will be valuable as you go forward. You will probably need to keep feeding to get the bees to continue drawing comb. We are in a period where the nectar flow really slows and bees quit drawing wax and concentrate on avoiding starvation. Our inspectors reported new beekeepers losing hives to starvation last year because they quit feeding when the nectar flow was strong and failed to start back when it slowed/stopped. The bees can really run through stores this time of year with high populations of very active bees.
Post Reply