# Deep full of honey



## kaizen (Mar 20, 2015)

I'm in the same boat on a lot of my hives. I'm hoping they start drawing the supers. They seem content to not touch the supers and backfill the whole brood nest.
Yes you can put one in but i'd put a few frames from the bottom up if you want more brood. this will encourage them to move up.


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## Farmercal (May 19, 2015)

All of my large hives are full of honey. You would think they were preparing for one tough winter. Maybe they know more than we do.


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## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

Box with drawn comb or box of foundation?


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## Schultz (Mar 9, 2015)

Farmercal said:


> All of my large hives are full of honey. You would think they were preparing for one tough winter. Maybe they know more than we do.


 How tough does your "winter" get?


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## Aroc (May 18, 2016)

Brad Bee said:


> Box with drawn comb or box of foundation?


Being my second year I still don't have much in the way of drawn comb, so if I did put a box above the lower it would be foundation only.

I might try checker boarding.


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## m0dem (May 14, 2016)

Farmercal said:


> All of my large hives are full of honey. You would think they were preparing for one tough winter. Maybe they know more than we do.


_"tough winter"_ *cough* _"Florida"_ *cough* *cough* 

:lookout:


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## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

f you put foundation in there and you aren't in a flow, I'd feed to get the comb drawn. You're going to need comb next spring to help prevent swarming. 

You have to be absolutely certain, 100% certain that there isn't ONE eggs or larvae young enough to make a queen from if you put those capped honey frames from the second box above another box. They will make supersedure cells if you seperate brood with an empty box, whether drawn or undrawn one box above the queen.


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## justin (Jun 16, 2007)

i don't think you could get bees to draw out foundation here at this time of the year. i'd extract 8 of the comb and then checkerboard those back in.


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## Arbol (Apr 28, 2017)

Aroc said:


> Being my second year I still don't have much in the way of drawn comb, so if I did put a box above the lower it would be foundation only.
> 
> I might try checker boarding.


I wouldn't checkerboard, it's def not the correct management tek for this time of year. It's used to prevent swarming.
Not to draw comb, have you read walt's paperson this? You will mess them up and cause a backfill in your lowest brood box, which you don't want.
No comb drawn, you should get some drawn comb if you feed 2:1 non stop, if it stops then comb drawing will be screwed up and won't happen and the little they do draw when the syrup stops is that crusty brown bridge and not the smooth drawn frame needed.

in 2006 Walt changed the improper name of checkerboarding to the correct term of "Nectar Management"


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## hex0rz (Jan 14, 2014)

Aroc, don't mess with them anymore. They are not going to willingly draw you more comb anymore. Its time to prepare for winter. Its past the solstice and the flows are over. They've got winter on the mind...


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## m0dem (May 14, 2016)

hex0rz said:


> Aroc, don't mess with them anymore. They are not going to willingly draw you more comb anymore. Its time to prepare for winter. Its past the solstice and the flows are over. They've got winter on the mind...


Don't tell my bees that!


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## wildbranch2007 (Dec 3, 2008)

hex0rz said:


> Aroc, don't mess with them anymore. They are not going to willingly draw you more comb anymore. Its time to prepare for winter. Its past the solstice and the flows are over. They've got winter on the mind...


we still have two large flows, one kicking in right now, throw the deep on, I assume you do have drawn honey supers on? did this hive swarm?


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## Farmercal (May 19, 2015)

Schultz said:


> How tough does your "winter" get?


We hardly have a winter. That's why all the honey doesn't make since. It is in the brood boxes so I don't touch it. It sure makes inspections harder moving those 80 pound deeps around.


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## Aroc (May 18, 2016)

wildbranch2007 said:


> we still have two large flows, one kicking in right now, throw the deep on, I assume you do have drawn honey supers on? did this hive swarm?


There is still a big flow going on here. We have alfalfa and knapweed to just name a couple. This particular hive has a super on but never moved up to even try to draw it out. This hive didn't swarm. It's a split from another hive earlier in the year.


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## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

They should have moved up into the super but that's much easier accomplished if you have at least one frame of drawn comb to put in it. If you're on a flow and put a deep on it, move one frame up to center of the box and the bees will move up and start drawing comb. You need extra deep comb for next spring.


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## hex0rz (Jan 14, 2014)

You never mentioned you were still in a flow. If you indeed are and you still have plenty of time left, by all means add another box. Do what brad bee said and you'll be rolling again.


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## jooky (Mar 18, 2016)

if the temp is too hot the queen stops laying and the workers fill with honey


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## drummerboy (Dec 11, 2015)

Now here's a thread that solidifies the point; "All Beekeeping is Local, and local bees rule"


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## Aroc (May 18, 2016)

drummerboy said:


> Now here's a thread that solidifies the point; "All Beekeeping is Local, and local bees rule"


How true. Montana is one of the largest honey producing states in the union largely due to we really don't have much of a dearth in the summer. Goes from one crop to the next from early spring to early fall.


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## drummerboy (Dec 11, 2015)

Aroc said:


> How true. Montana is one of the largest honey producing states in the union largely due to we really don't have much of a dearth in the summer. Goes from one crop to the next from early spring to early fall.


I believe the same holds true with the Dakota's, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin. During really great, optimal honey years, the nectar begins flowing with the dandelions and doesn't really stop until goldenrod......then its 6-7 months of nothing but cold and worry for most northern bees and beeks.


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## Aroc (May 18, 2016)

Well upon taking all the advice given I elected to place three frames of drawn out comb I had from last season in the center of the second brood box. They did have a little bit of stores in them....mostly syrup I think....I did that last weekend. Today I went in to see how things were going. Those frames were empty. I'm assuming they are or moved the syrup. I'm going to take a peek next weekend to see if she moved up. Not as worried about it as there are places for her to lay in the lower brood box as well.


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## hex0rz (Jan 14, 2014)

syrup? I thought your in a flow?


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