# When To Add Honey Supers?



## knobby (Mar 27, 2009)

We are new to beekeeping and have 3 nucs in 10 frame hives that are one month old and two packages in 10 frame hivesthat are 3 weeks old. Last week we added a second deep hive body to the three nuc colonies.

In one of them that had been most crowded we noticed 5 "swarm" cells along the bottom of one frame and a "supercedure" cell high on the same frame. I pinched off the swarm cells and left the supercedure cell. I inspected today and there are no new swarm cells, the supercedure cell is gone and the girls have moved up into the second deep and are producing lots of honey in the new upper deep. There is no brood being produced yet in the second deep.
My question is...when should I add an excluder and a honey super?
I'm thinking they should be using the second deep for more brood...Is that wrong?

Thanks in advance...


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## spencer (Dec 7, 2004)

If you are using new foundation, I believe the rule of thumb is when 8 of the 10 frames are drawn out.


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## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

They are doing what they are supposed to do. If you add a super they will then start to move the honey up into it and the queen will move up into the second deep. I like to help them along by taking an empty frame from the top hive body and exchange it for one with brood into the second hive body. This forces them to move up. Place it towards the center of the second hive body. Then throw on the super...they should start to fill it and start laying brood into the hive body.

Oh, I wouldn't bother with the queen excluder, honey is a natural barrier. JMHO others here will tell you differently. 

Good luck.


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## debcst5823 (Mar 12, 2014)

I have been asking about should or shouldn't use queen excluder and alot of keepers say no will do more harm than good. (Fat Bee Man) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1XJT-yVZPE


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## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

I don't think anyone should follow someone else's recommendation about using excluders, for every person who believes in them, there is someone who hates them. Try it both ways yourself, with and without, and see what works for you. Give it a try for a couple years at least, both ways, don't just experiment one season and call it good.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

The problem with new beeks and queen excluder is they have no drawn comb. Bees really hate to go thru that tight space to get to foundation. They are not so reticent when it is drawn comb up there. That being said, check for eggs in that hive with the swarm cells. The queen could already be gone.


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## tommyt (Aug 7, 2010)

You should have NEVER killed those Queen cells 
Many many many times bee packages supersede 
And many times when folks transfer from five to ten frame box 
They can kill or injure the queen This to will cause the bees to makes Q cells 
Some colonies (most) build queen cups (no larva) I think they do,it for practice 
Also do it to check the queen, if she puts an egg in it,it may,Be that she knows her time has come.
Your bee know what they needed 
If the single cell you left (hope for you colony) did in fact hatch and mate 
You now have a new Superseded Queen 
If it failed you now have a colony that may very well be on its way out 

I suggest you do a good inspection to see if your Queen 

This post is not meant to be harsh but a learning and thoughtful one 

Welcome to Bee Keeping (becoming a beekeeper) 
Not as simple as just Keeping Bees


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## debcst5823 (Mar 12, 2014)

Thank You I will try it out and find it out for myself!


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