# How long does it take to fill an empty Medium Super on new foundation?



## honeybeekeeper (Mar 3, 2010)

I have just placed my very first super on both my hives that i purchased as package bees in april! Im really excited that they have finally made it this far! Right now im trying to get equipment ready just in case i need to place a 2nd medium super box on top so my big question is: *How long does it take for the bees to fill a medium super??* I heard it only takes about a week but then i was thinking, is that with drawn comb on already used supers or is that a super box with brand new foundation that does not have drawn comb on it yet like im using??? Thank you!!


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

wow..how impossible is that to answer??:doh:


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## honeybeekeeper (Mar 3, 2010)

Well giving it be an expert opinion of how the flow is doing this year in the area and just wanting to find a rough *estimate* (give or take a week) would give a person a certain time to have his next box purchased or ready!! There has to be a difference in already drawn frames compared to brand new foundation! Example: If its a week to fill a medium super with already drawn frames then it would be 2 weeks for a medium super with brand new foundation that has to have the wax drawn since its brand new! To me it could be 2 day or 2 mths!! Thanks for the comment!


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## dirtfarmer (Mar 10, 2010)

You are near me and I'm not having very much flow coming in.


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## honeybeekeeper (Mar 3, 2010)

Thank you dirt farmer! How long does it normally take to fill a medium super on brand new waxed foundation?? & How long does it usually take to fill a medium super that has already drawn frames??

So far i know it takes about approx a mth to fill out the 1st Deep hive body and it only took 20 days to fill out the 2nd deep hive body!!!!


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## ken rice (Apr 28, 2010)

It is hard to guess how long,opening the hive is the only true way to know.Having said that,I live just north of you using all mediums, Started two hives (3lb. pack each)on may 6th.June 4th. first medium 80% drawn out on new foundation (no comb)added 2nd medium. Left for vacation on 6-11, came back on 6-20, opened hives found a dramatic increase in new bees. Also found 71/2 frames drawn out. So i added a 3rd medium. I try to stay ahead of the bees as far as equipment. When they are ready for another super, I have it waiting. When i use my last, I order more. I hope I was able to give you some Insight. Enjoy your bees, Ken


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## honeybeekeeper (Mar 3, 2010)

Thank you very much ken, i understand that the question ca not be answered exactly or precisely. Thats why i just wanted to know a rough estimate so i could be prepaired is all! No big deal. I really didnt think it was gonna be that hard of a question...HAHAHA...So basically it could be 9-10 days or it could be 3 weeks. Then on foundation that has drawn comb already you would need more then 3 medium super boxes wouldnt you?? When someone told me about a week on drawn comb i thought holy cow that is fast! I can imagine that the supers can be stacked pretty high in that case. So on a good year roughly saying, you could possibly harvest twice just so you would have enough medium super boxes for your hive then! I have only 3 medium super boxes for my 2 hives and at the time rates i see it would be best to have 4 or 5 boxes per hive! Any feed back on that thought???


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## ken rice (Apr 28, 2010)

Being new hives,the main goal here is to get them thru their first winter.Three mediums should be enough for them.Adding a 4th is your reward for taking care of your bees.


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## honeybeekeeper (Mar 3, 2010)

What do you do after the flow stops, you leave the boxes on the hives or do you harvest?? I dont think i will be rewarded with a 4th box. To be honest i dont care if im rewarded at all, i got involved to help the population and since im a perfectionist i always like to be prepaired by thinking ahead. I dont like surprizes!!..hahaha I added my 1st box sunday and i have the foundation ready for the 2nd box but thats it, i dont no more foundation and by me knowing the answer to the question of this thread determines if i need to order more equipment or not! This is an expensive hobbie thats for sure! :lpf:


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## Omie (Nov 10, 2009)

honeybeekeeper said:


> ..hahaha I added my 1st box sunday and i have the foundation ready for the 2nd box but thats it, i dont no more foundation and by me knowing the answer to the question of this thread determines if i need to order more equipment or not!


You haven't made it clear whether you put on a super with already drawn comb or brand new foundation, since you keep asking about both. I'm assuming you put on brand new (undrawn) foundation.
You said you just put your first honey super on. If you have a queen excluder placed under the undrawn foundation in the super, then take off the excluder until the bees have started drawing some comb in the super frames. Bees don't like going through an excluder to start drawing comb on new foundation. Put the excluder back on _after_ a few of the new frames have some comb being built on them.


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## honeybeekeeper (Mar 3, 2010)

*Thank you dirt farmer! How long does it normally take to fill a medium super on brand new waxed foundation?? & How long does it usually take to fill a medium super that has already drawn frames??*

Did you read everything omni???? Where does it say anything about a queen excluder????? Expert opinions only plz!


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## Mike Snodgrass (Mar 11, 2010)

Im useing a dbl deep for brood for a package of CA bees i hives on april..29th. I placed a medium honey super with undrawn foundation, half plastiic, half wax last week. They had it 80% drawn and roughly 75% filled but uncapped in just one week. I then placed another under that yesterday, again with half plastic foundation and half wax, all undrawn. The nectar flow here in north central ohio has been going gand busters for 3 weeks or more....Lets hope it continues. I would love to have another reason to buy more mediums!!!:applause:


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## Omie (Nov 10, 2009)

honeybeekeeper said:


> *Thank you dirt farmer! How long does it normally take to fill a medium super on brand new waxed foundation?? & How long does it usually take to fill a medium super that has already drawn frames??*
> 
> Did you read everything omni???? Where does it say anything about a queen excluder????? Expert opinions only plz!


*I said "IF" you had a queen excluder on.* An excluder would effect the time factor you were asking about. 
You didn't initially give enough details for people to give you relevant answers to your questions based on your situation. I see you have since added/edited in more information in to provide clearer details about your situation. 
As folks pointed out, answers to your broad initial questions could only be narrowed down to a general usefulness if you gave some information and specifics....otherwise the amount of time it takes for bees to 'fill' a medium super can be so variable as to be useless. 
If indeed you had an excluder on (and you didn't say whether you did or not, seems about half of BK's use them), it likely would increase the time it takes for the bees to start drawing new foundation through it. I was trying to be helpful in pointing out a factor that might be overlooked, but I see that was a mistake. A simple "Thanks, I am not using excluders." would have been mannerly.
I suggest you just get the equipment you know you are going to need this year, whether you'll need it a week from now or 2 months from now. As others (including 'experts') regularly point out here, waiting until the height of the season to order supplies can be a mistake, as suppliers sometimes run out.


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## honeybeekeeper (Mar 3, 2010)

Thanks Mike Snodgrass thats all i was needing to know! A direct answer which is hard to come by! I appreciate it! I will go buy more plastic foundation tomorrow, i just might buy myself a queen excluder to while im at it. I have a second box W/frames & foundation ready now, i have 20 frames made up but no foundation! I was wanting to try foundationless but i decided not to right at the last minute for some reason. Thanks again!


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

> *How long does it take for the bees to fill a medium super??*


Three years...


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## Mike Snodgrass (Mar 11, 2010)

All beekeeping is local, and can be very LOCAL! I know a beekeeper that is haveing different results than i and is only 75 miles away! I also use an excluder. I bait them into it first without the excluder than once they start to draw it out i put on the excluder. Standard practice for most! The second just goes uinder the first but above the excluder! Easy, japaneseee!


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## honeybeekeeper (Mar 3, 2010)

It took you 3 years to fill a medium super there beeCurious?? WOW!!

_Mike Snodgrass-Standard practice for most! The second just goes uinder the first but above the excluder! Easy, japaneseee_! 

so your saying once your first medium super is filled you put another one "under" the first medium super that just got filled??? i guess they wouldnt be walking all over the capped honey then by doin it that way!


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

Sorry that came off offensive! I was trying to convey the amount of variables involved like hive strength, location, weather, flows, the odd year for sweet clover, even the cutting of crops or mowing of fields comes into play. When all the planets are aligned they can do it fast...very fast, like in several days. What I look for is bridge comb on top of the super, that means it is time for another. Also being old school, I still just throw the next super on top, once you get two or three on there.....too much work. Again sorry!


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## Mike Snodgrass (Mar 11, 2010)

7/10 rule, 7 out of 10 frames drawn out and being filled....put on another box! Be ahead of the game! I placed another super on when we had at least 70% wax drawn and at least 70% filled with honey with the first one...I as most from what i understand place new supers under the first so that it gets them walking thru the new to cap the old thus insureing they start drawing out the new sooner!


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## valleyman (Nov 24, 2009)

Hi honeybeekeeper, again. Since I am close to you I will give you my logistical opinion, and it is an opinion. We had a lot of rain earlier in the year. It has not rained at my place for over 2 weeks, and while it is not that dry yet the clover and other blooms are slowing at my place. We are not far from a dearth and if it doesn't rain in the next couple of weeks we will have one. Now to me a good rule of thumb is to have an extra super ready at all times, just in case. So if I were you I would be heading to Kelleys and be ready for the rain and the fall flow that is likely to come.


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## honeybeekeeper (Mar 3, 2010)

Thank you valleyman im headed to kelleys tomorrow morning matter of fact...hahaha...I just wrote my list out and then i should have enough frames and foundation to put on 6 medium supers if i have to! I just have 2 hives so that will be 3 med supers per hive not counting the one med super i have on each hive right now! Two hives is what i wanted to start out with and they are doing awesome! I do have one TBH that has a huge batch of feral bees that i captured in Hustonville Ky! I will need to split them for sure next yr but if i have to move them to another location then i have a problem. Hopefully i can do the split here or find a place before that time comes.

Mike Snodgrass, i like the 80% rule better myself and then i take Frame #1 and put it in the #3 frame position and move Frame #10 into #7 frame position! It works great for me since they never fill the side closest to the wall from what i have noticed! But for my honey supers i just needed to know an estimated time frame is all!

Nasalsponge its all good, i completely understand! Im here to learn the right way and if i see any answer that dont make sense i just ignore it and just hope to have my answer sooner or later....hahaha At the same time i try to be as accurate as possible and i knew that this question wasnt easy! It was a matter of oppinion and like valleyman stated "someone that was close by could give the best answer" and he pretty much gave me my answer! Thanks to everyone including those i might not of mentioned!...


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## Big Mike (Apr 17, 2016)

Two weeks ago I emptied two nucs into two deep ten frame hives with five frames with no drawn comb in each deep hive and they took less than two weeks to fill out the additional deep frames. This was discovered this past Saturday when I went to inspect and found in one hive they had filled the hive and had produced a five inch high comb wall from wall to wall without any frame in one of the medium super boxes I had on top of the deep hive. I waited to long to add the frames. I placed nine frames in this medium super since I could not fit the tenth one in because of the frameless comb wall. The other deep hive was built out as well but they had not started to add more comb in the medium super box with no frames I had on top of the deep. I placed ten comb less frames in this medium super as well. I plan to inspect these two hives this evening (two days later) to see how much progress they have made on their first medium super with no drawn comb since this past Saturday. I have heard that during the main nectar flow a highly active hive can fill a medium super in less than a week with no drawn comb. These two colonies are significantly more active than my other two colonies so I do not want to wait to long before adding the second medium super. 

This is my only second year of bee keeping and my first two colonies from last year are active but have not really moved out in filling out a medium super they have had on them since last year. Not sure why but they seem to be pretty dossal compared to these two new colonies I have added. I have six medium supers on standby, and plan to order four more through Mann Lakes on Amazon.com since they have free shipping and deliver in two days. I am located in Northern Alabama and my be buddies in TN agree that this looks like it will be a bumper crop year. I hope this helps.


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