# How many supers to have per hive?



## Mommyofthree (Aug 23, 2014)

So I am mentally getting ready for this 2017 season. I am wondering how many supers do you plan on having on hand for each hive for the honey season? 

Thanks!


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

Five 9 frame mediums of drawn comb per production hive.


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## Bkwoodsbees (Feb 8, 2014)

If you have supers with drawn comb 5 should be enough but if you only have foundation then 4 . If you are using supers with undrawn foundation then put 10 frames in not 9. Put a super of foundation on and when it is 75 percent drawn then put a other super on top .


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## mathesonequip (Jul 9, 2012)

in northern areas 2 deeps [10 frame] and 2 mediums or 5 medium [10] frames is the standard first year suggestion, for the second year have 1 more medium available... for 8 frame equipment add another medium to the above numbers. locations will slightly modify this of course... it is always smart to have extra boxes and frames on hand as well as at least an extra top and bottom.


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## rolftonbees (Jul 10, 2014)

if you dont mine extracting multiple times you can get by with fewer supers.


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

I run all medium 10 framers for everything. Myself, two supers for honey. One for the hive, one for me.


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## Mommyofthree (Aug 23, 2014)

Thanks everyone! Ready to jump into my 4rd year and I am still getting the kinks out. I will plan on 5 supers per hive (some do have drawn comb and some do not).


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## BGhoney (Sep 26, 2007)

It also depends on how long it would take you to get more supers and frames, I'm only 1 hour from a bee supply so I could run over assemble and paint and have them on in a day or 2.


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

Certainly a lot depends on the flow and your equipment. 8 frame vs 10 frame boxes. Are you going wall to wall or putting say, 9 frames in a 10 frame box? As mentioned above, can you extract and put empties back? For me, I plan on 4 mediums over my broodnests even though I often don't get them that high. I have an extractor so it's not too much trouble...given time...for me to pull, extract and replace. I also run all mediums so I tend to have a lot of boxes ready to go anyway.


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## Andrew Dewey (Aug 23, 2005)

This is a question that can only be answered with detailed local information regarding flows. Your best bet is to talk with your local club or other beekeepers with a knowledge of your forage and local conditions. In my area, I rejoice if two shallows of surplus honey are filled. We get two major flows a year - I extract after each.


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## Cloverdale (Mar 26, 2012)

Mr.Beeman said:


> I run all medium 10 framers for everything. Myself, two supers for honey. One for the hive, one for me.


How does that work for you for brood boxes? I was thinking of just having one deep and the rest mediums for brood and honey but would prefer all mediums. Deb


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## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

I'm not so sure that stacking 4 or 5 supers on in the spring is such a good idea. Let me explain...
One of the things you do to prevent SHB overtaking a hive is to keep it the right size so that all the area inside the hive can be patrolled by bees that take out the larva or heard the adult beetles. "Keep them strong". (the bee colony) 
Strong in this context means "don't give them too much room". Density of bees in what strong means. 
When you put 4 or 5 supers onto a hive that is not strong enough to need that much space you're asking for it. 
Just an opinion.

Maybe they don't have SHB in Minnesota. If that's the case....nevermind.


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## BigBlackBirds (Aug 26, 2011)

Something else to keep in mind is that you probably only want to put equipment up to a certain height for practical purposes. If you run a double deep and its sitting on a pallet or blocks, 6-7 mediums over that is about as high as most folks of average build can comfortably work from the ground. At 7 high, if the mediums is full, its not the most fun to pull that super. And even less fun to do an entire yard. And its not much fun pulling honey from a ladder, etc. Planning on 4-6 supers probably covers most situations.


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

aunt betty said:


> _I'm not so sure that stacking 4 or 5 supers on in the spring is such a good idea._..


Agreed.

With a small local operation (a few backyard hives, no out yards), 2 mediums works well for starters. Hives that fill them quick get 2 more at a time. The slow ones get 1, checking & adding every few weeks during peak flows. 

Strong late spring and early summer flows are a good time to get new frames drawn out and can reduce swarming tendencies. "Baiting" new frame supers with a few drawn frames can encourage the bees to move up into these mostly undrawn supers.

Old accounts indicate that over-supering can be counter productive for a number of reasons. 

This obviously may not be practical for those with larger hive numbers or distant yards.


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## Fivej (Apr 4, 2016)

How many here will pull and replace frames or a super as they get filled? I suppose it is a lot of work if you have a lot of hives or outyards, but that is my plan so as to keep the height manageable and to have more frames drawn. J


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## clyderoad (Jun 10, 2012)

I only pull them as they are capped if I've run out of supers to give them. It's a PIA but certainly not the
worst problem to have when I have to pull them, extract, and put them back on so they can fill them again.


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