What is the purpose of honey super?

Beekeepers define a super as “any upper-story hive box placed over the brood chamber for purpose of storing surplus honey.” When you look up “honey super,” Wikipedia informs us, “A honey super is a part of a commercial or other managed (such as by a hobbyist) beehive that is used to collect honey.” So, the verb “ ...

When should I put a honey super on?

The ideal time to add a super is during periods of natural population growth (typically, the spring), before or during a honey flow (spring or summer), or during periods of swarming (again, typically the spring). Before adding a super, beekeepers often use a standard rule of thumb, which is known as the 7/10 rule.

Why a honey super is called a super?

Super is short for superstructure, which refers to the boxes placed on a beehive for bees to store honey. Historically, a super was always a medium, 6 5/8-inch tall box, or a shallow 5 3/4-inch tall box. Both are traditionally referred to as supers, exclusive of the deep 9 5/8-inch box used on the bottom of the hive.

Why are my bees not using honey super?

The most common reason your bees aren't filling your supers is because they are simply not strong enough. Your colony isn't ready to move up into the super for honey storage, and you have given them to much space. Your weaker colonies will need more time to get established.

Can you put a honey super on too early?

Try not to add supers too early or too late, but if you are uncertain, then do it sooner. Also, remember to only harvest surplus honey and leave enough for your bees to make it through the year.

When to put a honey super on | #beekeeping | #honey

Can you leave honey super on over winter?

Yes, you can leave a honey super or several on the hive over Winter. In fact, most beekeepers do have a super or two designated for use by the bees. The size of the box designated as the “food super” for the bees varies from one beekeeper to another and from one region to another.

Can you feed bees with supers on?

Avoid, brown sugar, beat sugar, powder sugar, or honey. Remember the bee keeper code; never feed the bees while honey supers are in place. spring to stimulate the queen to lay eggs and helps the bees draw more comb.

How many honey supers do I need per hive?

3-4 supers per hive should be all you need.

Will bees move honey from brood box to super?

A hive generally has two brood boxes—the larger boxes in which the bees lives year-round—and honey supers are stacked on top of those boxes during the spring and summer months to give the hive extra room. The bees will move honey “upstairs” to the supers if it's available.

What's the difference between a brood box and a honey super?

The difference between a “brood box” and a “super” is brood boxes are used by the queen to lay eggs called brood for raising new bees. A “super” is the hive box used to store a bee's honey called a “honey super”.

Can you adding a second brood box too soon?

Fresh nectar helps bees produce wax (or in spring 2 parts water to 1 part sugar supplemented with nutrients). Rain and snow can slow your colony as does mistakes by the new beekeeper – all may inhibit this colony from growing. The takeaway here is don't add a second box too soon after hiving your package.

How many frames do you put in a honey super?

Some beekeepers use only 8 or 9 frames in a honey super, while others use all 10. It does make a difference. Obviously, if you use 9 frames, the comb on each frame will be drawn out wider by the bees, thus making much more space for the honey.

How do you tell if bees are bringing in nectar?

The best way to tell if your hive is bringing back nectar is to weigh it. A hive on a hive scale can tell you a lot about the hive. If you don't have a hive scale, check NASA's honeybeenet in order to determine the flow in your area.

Will an empty beehive attract bees?

Yes, an empty beehive will attract bees. Even if it isn't positioned up in a tree or converted to a bait hive, the scout bees can smell residual beeswax in the wood. If you have an empty hive and want to make it more attractive to bees, you can add a swarm lure.

How long does it take bees to draw out a frame?

With that said, if all are perfect for the bees, it will take 1 to 2 weeks for a strong colony to draw a out all the frames in a honey super. In fact, some colonies can take less than a week even though this happens rarely.

How fast can a hive fill a super?

In a good honey flow, strong hives can fill a super in one to two weeks, or even in a couple of days, though this is rare. Depending on the flow you may need up to four or five supers above the brood chamber.

How do you get bees to build a honey super comb?

1. It seems that nectar (or a light syrup that mimics nectar) is ideal for stimulating wax production. Many beekeepers use 1:1 syrup as a comb-building stimulant, others prefer an even lighter syrup of one part sugar to two parts water (1:2). This works fine, especially in the spring.

How do you get bees out of a honey super?

To blow bees out of honey supers, simply remove the honey super filled with bees from the hive and place it up on its end on a bench, table, or back of a truck. By directing air from the blower between the frames, the bees are blown out of the super.

How many times do you harvest honey in a year?

In a healthy, productive hive, it is normal to be able to harvest honey two to three times each season. Most beekeepers will harvest honey between June and September, but how often you harvest and how much honey you get will depend on a number of factors.

How long does it take for bees to clean a super?

If you don't want to make multiple trips, I would say 1 super can be cleaned by 1 strong hive in 2-3 hours - more or less. I just put my frames in front of my hives 3-4 hours before dark. After an hour or so of darkness, I put them in a chest freezer for 24-48 hours. Done.

When should I stop feeding my bees sugar water?

While it is common to feed sugar water to new bee colonies, it is also important to know when to stop feeding bees in spring. Sugar water lacks the nutrients that bees need to strengthen their immune system. You should stop feeding bees when there are honey supers on and when there is enough honey stored for winter.

Why are my bees not drawing out comb?

Bees will only draw out new comb when there is a strong nectar flow. If there's no nectar to make honey with in the super, there's no point in wasting energy on building comb that will then sit empty, right? So, if you place a super on your hive during a time of dearth, don't expect your bees to fill it.

When should you stop feeding bees sugar water in the fall?

A: Congratulations on getting your first bees. It is the adventure of a lifetime. Once daytime temperatures drop below 57 degrees stop feeding liquid syrup and switch to a solid sugar board.