For both new beekeepers and experienced beekeepers alike, it can often be difficult to know when it is the right time to add an additional box (known as a super) to a growing colony of bees. Unfortunately, there is often no perfect answer to this question. Here at Wildflower Meadows, with all the combined years of experience of our team, we still find ourselves at certain times wondering and debating whether it is the right decision to add supers to our colonies or not.
It might seem at first that a beehive is always better off with more space. Afterall, more space means more room for surplus honey, more room for a colony to expand, more room for the bees to avoid crowding, and more room to reduce swarming pressure. So, why not just add a super or two and solve all these problems at once? Beginning beekeepers typically follow this perfectly logical train of thought. The results, however, are often not what they had in mind. Too much space for a beehive can often lead to unintended consequences.
There are several downsides to providing too much space to a colony, the main one being that rather than promoting growth, adding overly excessive space to a beehive, or adding space at the wrong time can often set a colony backward. In fact, adding a super at the wrong time of year can sometimes result in a smaller or more stressed out colony than if the colony had simply been left alone. This is a counterintuitive concept, and it is what causes experienced beekeepers to pause and think twice before supering their colonies, especially relatively weak ones.
Anytime a super is added to a colony, it affects the bees’ ability to regulate the temperature and humidity balance of the colony. It gives them more space to attend to, clean up, maintain, anddefend, all potentially straining their resources. During cold weather, cavernous space in a beehive is especially a liability, causing detrimental heat loss. Even in very hot weather, excess space can interfere with a colony’s ability to cool the all-important colony core and brood nest.
Also, bees naturally like to move upward. When a super is added prematurely, the bees will tend to move upward first, rather than outward. This sometimes results in a long and narrow shape to the colony, which is less than ideal both for the efficient use of the equipment, and for maximizing colony growth and honey production.
So, when is the best time to add a super to a colony of honeybees? 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. This rule says that the proper time to add a super to a beehive is when the bees have already covered 7 of the 10 frames in the existing box or boxes. If the colony is growing and the timing is right (as noted above) then the 7/10 rule comes into play. If the colony is strong enough to have 7 of the 10 frames full of bees, then is has the necessary ingredients for a natural and seamless expansion into a new empty super.
FAQs
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).
When should I add a super to my bee hive? ›
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).
What is the 7 10 rule in beekeeping? ›
Now is the time to ensure that your bees will have enough room to last the summer, but not too much or they won't fill the supers before final harvest time. - Follow the rule of 7/10: if 7 of the 10 frames are fully capped, add another super if it's early in the month.
How quickly can bees fill a super? ›
New beekeepers frequently ask “How long does it take for bees to fill a frame?” A healthy hive on a good nectar flow can quickly fill a six-frame Flow super in a couple of weeks.
Can you put a super on too early? ›
YES! If you put them no too early the bees lose the heat up to the empty super. That will slow down brood rearing and reduce the number of bees they can keep warm. You are still full with honey so they have food they will clear as they raise new bees.
Can you put too many supers on a hive? ›
You can add as many supers on your hives as the bees can fill.
What happens if I put too much into super? ›
Your excess concessional contributions are counted as personal assessable income and taxed at your marginal tax rate. You will receive a tax offset to reflect the 15% tax already paid on these contributions by the super fund.
How many honey supers per hive? ›
One Flow Super per hive is the simple answer, as you can keep harvesting the honey whenever it is ready, giving the bees room to keep working and making more honey.
Why aren t my bees using the honey super? ›
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.
What is the 3 feet 3 mile rule for bees? ›
This saying implies that you can move a beehive up to 3 feet from it's original location and the bees will still find their hive but if the distance exceeds 3 miles or more, the bees figure they are not in Kansas anymore and they reorientate.
They are: Bee Safe, Bee Kind, Bee Careful with our things. These 3 rules help all of us enjoy the day together.”
When should you not open a beehive? ›
When not to open a bee hive. Hold off on opening your bee hive during inclement weather or cold temperatures. Wait for a warmer, sunny, not-too-windy day to do that first springtime inspection — your bees will thank you!
Will adding a honey super stop swarming? ›
Many beekeepers think that simply adding a super will keep their honey bees from swarming in the spring, but this is not always the case. While adding a super does provide additional space for honey storage and aids in reducing hive congestion, it has a negligible effect on preventing reproductive swarming.
Should I leave a Super on my hive over winter? ›
You don't want to have excess space in the hive, as it will require more energy for the bees to keep warm. If you have harvested honey from a super, remove the super and allow the bees to clean off any excess honey. Flow Frames should be drained of honey and wrapped inplastic for storage.
Should I add another brood box or super? ›
Do not use more than one box. If you use more, this can slow down the bee's progress in drawing out comb and give extra, unprotected room for pests to hide in corners, like wax moth or small hive beetles.
How many supers should you have per hive? ›
One Flow Super per hive is the simple answer, as you can keep harvesting the honey whenever it is ready, giving the bees room to keep working and making more honey.
How long do you leave wet supers on a hive? ›
The supers can be left in place for two or three days, depending on the number of supers to be cleaned, and the strength of the colony doing the job.
How many supers should a hive have? ›
A standard hive is made up of a brood box, which sits at the bottom, and one or two honey supers, which sit on top. Most beekeepers use a device called a queen excluder to keep the queen in the brood box, so she doesn't lay eggs in the honey frames.
Should I leave a super on my hive over winter? ›
You don't want to have excess space in the hive, as it will require more energy for the bees to keep warm. If you have harvested honey from a super, remove the super and allow the bees to clean off any excess honey. Flow Frames should be drained of honey and wrapped inplastic for storage.
