# honey super has plenty of bees there >just no comb being drawn-



## Devorah aka GrannyBee (Apr 29, 2011)

Hello fellow beekeepers, 
My apiary (2 hives) is in Mt. Pleasant, SC. I have 2 packed out med.supers. Bees have really done exceptional - all 16 frames in both hives are fully packed! So much so, I can barely lift the box. 
I placed a shallow super on with a queen excluder. On top of that was the top feeder- I keep full for them. 
The shallow super was placed on 2 weeks ago. As of my inspection yesterday- bees are all over all 8 frames (again in BOTH HIVES) on the foundation but not drawing any comb. I'd understand if no bees where there- then it's the queen excluder- but that's not the case. They are all over the honey super's frames- just not working?? 
Is it a case of hauling the pollen, etc. up there? I have a "screened" inner top on the feeder, which doesn't have a notch to allow top entrance. 
Any ideas about what is going on would be welcome! 
Thx ever so much, 
:scratch::scratch::scratch:


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## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

Are you honey bound? You need to take the feeder off, it is far two late in the season to be feeding. Sounds to me like they filled the brood boxes with Syrup, which will cause your population to crash if the queen has no where to lay. 

As far as the not drawing out the frames is concerned... It may have taken them two weeks to decide they could get through the excluder and they will start drawing now. What kind of foundation do you have in the frames?


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## Devorah aka GrannyBee (Apr 29, 2011)

The feeder/s contains just water now. 

I debated over placing another med super on but due to the production rate of the 2 med supers on both hives- I thought that a honey super might be in order. Then once that was done- planned on adding that 3rd super for them to have to work & winter with. 

I found that the bees made their way up to the shallow super within "a day" of placing it there. The bees has had 2 good weeks being in the honey box. 

About feeding- (i.e., with sugar water) I hear so many different opinions. It seemed that more seemed to say- if the bees take it, then it's OK to feed. When they stop drinking- obviously stop! (or remove). Both my hives have drank down the sugar water down quickly. On the 10th week from install- I did just add water- no sugar. Our area is in a bad drought and has been. Extremely hot here. 

thank you for your input= welcome more...


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## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

feeding is fine, just keep in mind that when they start storing sugar water they no longer need it... If you have been in a drought and they have the brood boxes full of "honey" they have stored the syrup. Bees also will move "honey" around the hive as needed, so if you have brood boxes full of syrup and you add supers, they may move syrup into the supers and mix it with natural honey, contaminating the honey with table sugar or corn syrup, whichever you feed. 

IMO feeding has become too common place, it used to be an emergency method of getting bees through tough times..... now everybody does it all the time. Bees should be able to gather and store what they need, except under certain conditions feeding should be completely unnecessary.

Only your bees know why they are not drawing out your foundation; But I would definitely clear some of the syrup out of the brood chamber to open up space for laying. I would venture a guess that your brood at this point is limited and the bees know it. They may not think they need the extra space at this time and so they are not drawing it out. Make room for the queen to lay and build population and they will drawl out your supers.


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## Devorah aka GrannyBee (Apr 29, 2011)

thank you - good to know! I'm not quite sure if I mislead you. When I said that the 2 med supers were packed- I did mean with brood and honey. In fact, all the inner 6 frames has a LOT of brood cells. The top med did happen to have "somewhat more" capped honey but also has brood cells. there seems to be empty brood cells where others have emerged so I hope the Queen has empties! :s

The foundations are beeswax.


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

Welcome Devorah! You might try turning the queen excluder sideways. Let it hang out the sides! If there is honey at the top of the frames in the top super, the queen will probably not go up unless she is crowded downstairs.


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## Devorah aka GrannyBee (Apr 29, 2011)

Good suggestion! I'll try that. thx!


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## Devorah aka GrannyBee (Apr 29, 2011)

Hi y'all 9again) well I did take your advice AmericasBeekeeper- i turned it sideways. It's been over 2 weeks now and still no drawn comb. I removed the excluder this past weekend. Hoping for something to happen up there in the shallow super. Bees were on every frame there- just not drawing comb.


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## johnblagg (May 15, 2011)

if you in a drought you are probably in a dearh as well and they are not going to draw out comb they dont need unless they are being fed to encourage them to do so ...and then you are not getting honey they are storing syurp....


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