Guilfordbeekeepers.org

The following quote was from a PM I received from one of the members. I felt it important enough to put on the forum for all. If some of the old timers want to add to or disagree with my ideas, please feel free to do so.


>>>>Is it too late in the year to add a third medium to the other hive? I thought about doing it, but I then thought it may pull the work force from filling the second super with honey, to pull comb on foundation? What would you do?<<<<

If I were wanting bees, I would add the super.
If I were wanting guaranteed honey, I would hold off on supering.
The flow is over half way now and you may end up with 3 or 4 partially filled supers, but you will get the max foraging from the bees.
If you don't add supers, you are more apt to get a fully capped super for your own use. Not knowing how much more they will be bringing in, you can't be sure they can fill both before the flow is over. You can always use the partially filled ones for a kickstart next year.

As with most things in beekeeping, it depends on your preferences and goals.

SInce all of our major nectar plants are post bloom except for clover I find it highly unlikely that any comb would be drawn at this point.
As dry as it is even the clover is having trouble putting out this year.
As everyone is well aware, we are quite past the swarming season. Swarming occurs because of overcrowding, overcrowding because of full brood chambers, brood chambers because of too many eggs laid, too many eggs because of nectar flow. Thus in turn it is fair to say that no swarming means little nectar. You have to have a nectar flow (artificial or real) to draw comb.