Supering Bees for Nectar (Honey) Flow

Discussion and demonstration on how and when to add supers to honeybee colonies. Discussion includes 10-frame versus 9-frame configurations and 8-frame verses 7-frames configurations. How do we deal with foundation, and the importance of having drawn comb. Timing of supering to maximize honey production. How many supers should we add to colonies.
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[@philipmontgomery5626]

You're a good teacher.

[@DysonApiaries]

I appreciate that!

[@terrydeese157]

Enjoyed your advice I live near Lumberton NC and you helped me a lot I'm a second year bee keeper thanks

[@DysonApiaries]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@robinfrazier7922]

I really do enjoy your program Mr. Dawson. It's very informative to all the beekeepers and I know guy like me as well uncle rob said that

[@DysonApiaries]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@philipmontgomery5626]

Great video.

[@kathyhathaway8823]

Very informative video Justin . I think that will help out a lot of new Bee keepers. I am about forty five minutes East of you .

[@DysonApiaries]

Awesome. You should be about the same as me as far as timing goes.

[@peterg2569]

Excellent video

[@DysonApiaries]

Thank you!

[@vandubay]

Great video! I noticed several bees that had white on their thorax and didn't know that was from tulip poplar flowers. I didn't know I had any tulip poplars around, but apparently I do!

[@DysonApiaries]

That’s awesome. The flow is on here.

[@beebob1279]

I just found your channel and watched two videos. I'm in the Northeast so we are a little behind you, so I thought. I was in setting up for the flows two weeks ago (beginning of April) and I was actually shaking nectar from the frames. Surprise!!!! I have them set up right now and getting ready to move the colonies into a single deep for the honey flows. I've never done a single deep set up before like you do in the south and I'm interested to see how it does. I also want to get more comb drawn out in deeps and will be doing your method. I like clean comb for emergencies I like the idea of the wood slats on the outside of the hives to keep them even. I never thought of that. Have a lot of that. Good luck this season and I subscribed to see how you do.

[@DysonApiaries]

Awesome. Thanks for watching!

[@DysonApiaries]

What is blooming up there?

[@beebob1279]

@@DysonApiaries We have Dandelion peaking, Olive, and the bush honey suckle is getting close. The black locust and Poplar are not there yet.

[@keithspillman]

Great info!!! So far...so good!! LOTS of nectar coming in. Hoping for a great season!!

[@DysonApiaries]

Awesome. Kicked off about 2-weeks early for us.

[@gene-sloca]

Great video. Appreciate your advice

[@DysonApiaries]

Thank you!

[@keithfaithful3989]

Great information!

[@DysonApiaries]

Thank you!

[@DialedN_07]

Good timely advice

[@DialedN_07]

It takes a little more time, but I've found that placing a hive tool between each frame spacer will provide almost perfect 9 frame spacing. Yes a plastic spacer would be much quicker, but I don't have one. Love doing 9 frames *once the frames are already drawn*. 10 frames until they are drawn, then pull the emptiest frame and go 9 frames in a 10 frame box.

[@DysonApiaries]

I have definitely manually spaced frames as I’m always forgetting to bring the spacer. 😂

[@mikesbeesllc]

Great info. Thanks

[@DysonApiaries]

No problem.

[@lester3836]

Great content, thank you

[@DysonApiaries]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@NKYHoneyBees]

Beautiful!

[@3alamn]

tank you

[@christopherroop4937]

Good stuff 👍🐝

[@DysonApiaries]

Thanks!

[@sawmillcharliesbeefarm]

how do you keep your hive from swarming using single brood chamber management, the only way that I have kept the hive from swarming is to equalize the the hives every two weeks.

[@DysonApiaries]

I run them in doubles up to the flow. I set them up with the right amount of brood frames to peak right at the flow. If they peak before the flow, they swarm. Timing is everything. One of the rules of thumb I use is 5 frames of brood will peak in about 6 weeks.

[@jaymeez]

Don’t remember you covering it but why not use double deeps for brood? When I first looked into beekeeping over 15 years ago that was common to see. And then with the strong colony of bees you can add honey supers on top. And if things really get busy for the bees just keep adding supers on top. I saw one guy with 5 shallows on top of his 2 large brood boxes

[@DysonApiaries]

I spoke about that in another video. I do this for a few reasons. One is I find it easier to manage a colony through the flow with brood being in a single deep. Easier to move for different flows, easier to deal with issues if they arise, and the hive doesn’t get so tall. I also tend to average more surplus honey in this configuration, though it’s a catch 22 as they do not build their winter stores through the flow and have to be artificially added (feed) if the fall flow does not produce. I have found and calculated that a queen can’t lay more than a single deep. We see them expand into the second deep, but neither deep is full of brood as it is just mathematically impossible to lay that many cells. When confined at the right time to a single, that deep get really efficient and nearly end bar to end bar packed with brood. Overall, either config is fine and works well…it’s just the method I have chosen. Thanks for watching!

[@3Beehivesto300]

Do you top vent or offset supers ice you get 3 supers on?

[@DysonApiaries]

No. I just stack them up. There’s a little device called an Imirie Shim that some use but I just stack them up.

[@SylantBill]

Do you ever undersuper your boxes. If so when do you do it in the process.

[@DysonApiaries]

I pull supers and extract as soon as the flow is over. From there I either resuper for the next flow or place a feeder box back on top for winter.

[@SylantBill]

@@DysonApiaries Thanks for the reply you're very helpful

[@MeyerTribe7]

How do you know when a nectar flow is happening?

[@DysonApiaries]

Knowing the encarar sources and timing for your area is key. You can monitor the activity of the hive with bees going out to forage as well. Another indicator is when doing inspections, unripened nectar will shake out of frames.

[@woodlandharvesthoneycompanyllc]

All good advice but I have trouble getting supers drawn out. I want to use mediums but all the drawn comb I have are deeps it seems like. I put them on and the bees fill them but start running out of steam before building the mediums out. Now if I feed light syrup with only the medium super on they draw them out but then I have supers of sugar water in them. What is the best method to get supers drawn so I can have lighter supers to extract?

[@DysonApiaries]

Leaving queen excluders off until comb is drawn can work. Put the excluder back in about 4 weeks before planned harvest. Your method of feeding for comb production works too. Just take them back off and let bee rob them out for their own stores prior to using for production. Once you get some drawn, it becomes much easier. Lastly, putting a deep in for production gives a lot of room for stores and can discourage or push them to late in the season before starting to draw the mediums. Maybe consider going without an excluder temporarily with only the medium until the start in it.

[@bradgoliphant]

Oh I prefer the wood queen excluder by far. The bees to so much better with them. They make more honey

[@davidsoloninka7742]

Wouldn't it be easier and faster for the house bee's to transport the nectar from the entrance of the hive up if u only keep 2 supers on?... as they fill take them off and replace with empty supers?... again if u have 3 or 4 supers doesn't it take more time for the house bee to go further up off load nectar and then come all the way down? I'm a novice an am still learning. Thx

[@DysonApiaries]

I Can assume an argument can be made for that. If you are set up and can take supers off as the bees fill them and replace with empties, it could work. The trouble is that most of our flows hit really hard for a few weeks and it’s just a trickle on either side of that two weeks. I can’t get around to my apiaries to take off honey and have it extracted fast enough to keep up.

[@brucecarow2511]

Do you top super or bottom super? Is one way better than the other?

[@DysonApiaries]

I honestly think bottom supering is better…but I’m a little bit lazy when it comes to that. I hate picking those things up over and over. If you’re set up for it, you can remove fulls as you add empties and go ahead and extract all through the flow.

[@davidsoloninka7742]

What state are u in? Thx

[@DysonApiaries]

In the piedmont of NC.

[@tomandrews2677]

Great job very informative. Thank you.

[@jerrykey9053]

What part of the Piedmont are you from. I'm in my 2 year of bee keeping and still have a lot of questions. I'm just south of Winston Salem

[@DysonApiaries]

Mocksville

[@BucksBeesS.C.]

Beleave in bee space

[@DeanGoedel]

Good info! Thank you

[@DysonApiaries]

You are very welcome!