# My bees won't go up into the super!



## Tommy Tip Top (May 27, 2011)

My brood box is full of italian bees but they wont move up to the super. Do I just remove the queen excluder? Any other tips would be appreciated. Thank you


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Yes. Is there two boxes or one?


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## Bradley_Bee (May 21, 2008)

What kinda frames are up there? Foundation ? I've had success dipping my foundation completely in beeswax. or you could try to pour honey over them. Or if you had another swarm to do it. take a drawn frame of honey and swap em out.


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

Tommy Tip Top said:


> Do I just remove the queen excluder?


Remove the excluder and spray your frames/foundation with sugar water. Once they start drawing out about half the frames with comb (but before the queen lays eggs), put the excluder back on. You'll have to watch it close. Sometimes they work very fast.


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## dehavik (Jun 5, 2010)

Had the same problem. The day I removed the queen excluder, they were upstairs and working hard. The queen never laid eggs up there. If you have two brood boxes, it should be more than enough space for your queen to lay.


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## Mtn. Bee (Nov 10, 2009)

Throw your excluders in the storage shed and place a frame of honey in the middle of the super.
If you don't have one, just a frame of drawn out foundation will call them up like the piedpiper! 
And don't worry if the queen lays eggs up there, they will hatch out and then the cells will get filled with honey. If that doesn't work then place super above excluder and let them hatch out, of course move the queen back into the basement where she belongs before putting on the excluder!
Good Luck! Mtn. Bee


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## prisonman (Jan 20, 2011)

Mtn. Bee said:


> Throw your excluders in the storage shed and place a frame of honey in the middle of the super.
> If you don't have one, just a frame of drawn out foundation will call them up like the piedpiper!
> And don't worry if the queen lays eggs up there, they will hatch out and then the cells will get filled with honey. If that doesn't work then place super above excluder and let them hatch out, of course move the queen back into the basement where she belongs before putting on the excluder!
> Good Luck! Mtn. Bee


Do the bees ever place pollen into the honey supers? What effect would this have on harvesting the honey?


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## prisonman (Jan 20, 2011)

Do the bees ever place pollen into the honey supers? What effect does this have on harvesting the honey?


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## TIMER (Apr 17, 2011)

I had this problem also, I had supers on several hives with QE for two weeks and they never drew a cell.:scratch: I pulled the excluders and went back 9 days later to check, and they all were drawing frames and storing honey. One of the hives drew 9 frames and filled 5 of them in those 9 days I thought that to be pretty amazing.


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## Peaches (Jun 8, 2011)

The bees only place pollen around the brood nest. If the queen lays eggs in the honey super, then the bees will put pollen up there too.


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## Mtn. Bee (Nov 10, 2009)

The pollen stays in the frames when I extract the honey and then goes back to the bees.
If any does end up in the honey then the consumers really love it as it is sooo natural.
I had one women wanted it with extra bee parts and all the naturals straight out of the extractor and told me it was the best honey she has ever had!  

I wanted to ask her if the wings got stuck between her teeth, but I behaved myself!
Gotta Love It! :banana:


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## Beeslave (Feb 6, 2009)

Peaches said:


> The bees only place pollen around the brood nest.


And when honey supers are place directly above the brood nest the bees will store pollen in the frames.


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## Peaches (Jun 8, 2011)

Beeslave,

This is true, but as the brood nest expands upwards so will the rings of pollen and honey. If the super is just above the brood nest, then yes the pollen ring will be placed in the bottom portion of the honey super.


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## Bradley_Bee (May 21, 2008)

But also remember, In a strong flow a brood frame can turn into a honey frame really quickly. Especially in the second or third box . Leaving pollen above the honey. I wouldn't say it has a negative effect- especially if people buy your honey for allergies . There going to want that mix of honey and pollen.


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