Supers

A full-depth honey super (deep super, full box) is a hive box of the same height as the brood box, taking the same size frames, that is added on top of the brood box to give the bees room to store honey. Its biggest advantage is that its frames are interchangeable with the brood box; its biggest drawback is its weight when full. When and how it is added directly affects the size and quality of the harvest.

What is a full-depth honey super?

The honey super (super) is the upper part of the hive where the bees store surplus honey. Bees naturally store honey above and around the brood area, and the super takes advantage of this instinct. The word "full" refers to the height of the box: a full-depth super is the same depth as the brood body.

In the Langstroth hives common in Türkiye, the full-depth super is identical to the brood box; the same body can serve as a super on top or as a brood box below. That is why some beekeepers simply say "box" instead of "super" and "brood box". In the Dadant system, by contrast, the supers are usually noticeably shallower than the brood box, and the idea of a "full box" is used less there.

What are the pros and cons of a full-depth honey super?

Pros

• One frame size: The brood box and the super use the same frame, so frames can be moved freely between them. This is a great help when making splits, giving a honey frame to a weak colony or making room in the brood box.
• Fewer parts: One box size, one frame size, one foundation size; stock and equipment are simplified.
• Winter stores: In autumn part of the last super can be left on the hive as winter food and used like a brood box in spring.
• More honey per comb: Fewer frames need to be uncapped and extracted for the same harvest.

Cons

• Weight: A full-depth box filled with honey can easily exceed 30 kilograms. It is hard for one person to lift, and back injuries are common in beekeeping.
• Filling time: In areas with weak flows a large box fills and is capped later.
• Brood risk: Because it is the same size as the brood box, the queen can move up into the super more easily in a hive without an excluder.

When should you add a honey super?

Adding the super at the right time is one of the most decisive decisions in beekeeping. A super added too early chills the hive; one added too late leads to swarming and lost honey.

1. Colony strength: Most of the brood box (about 7–8 frames in a 10-frame hive) should be covered with bees.
2. Fresh white wax: New, white wax on the top bars and frame edges shows that the bees are ready to draw comb and that nectar is coming in.
3. Nectar flow: The main flow in the area should have started or be about to start.
4. Weather: Night temperatures should not be too low; in a cold spell the colony struggles to heat a big empty box.

Once the super is on, check how it is filling at every inspection. The common rule: add the next super when the current one is about two-thirds to three-quarters full; the bees should always have some empty space.

Should you add a honey super on top or underneath?

There are two common approaches:

• Top supering: The new box goes on top. It is easy and you do not need to lift full boxes. Most beekeepers prefer it.
• Bottom supering: The new empty box goes directly above the brood box, beneath the full super. Some beekeepers believe this makes the bees work harder; however, it means lifting full, heavy boxes, and there is no consensus on its effect.

Whichever you choose, giving drawn comb in the first super gets the bees moving up quickly. Rather than giving a box of foundation only while the flow is weak, put drawn combs first and spread the foundation frames between them.

How do you harvest a full-depth honey super?

1. Ripeness: Most of the frames (usually at least three-quarters) should be capped. Honey in uncapped cells may be too moist; the general moisture limit for honey is 20%.
2. Clearing the bees: A bee escape board can be placed under the super one or two days before the harvest; the bees go down and cannot come back up. Alternatively, frames are shaken and brushed one by one, or air is blown through with a bee blower.
3. Brood check: In a hive without an excluder, check every frame; frames with brood are not extracted but returned to the brood box.
4. Carrying: Full boxes are heavy; bend your knees when lifting and use two people or a hive lifter if needed. Carry boxes in closed containers to prevent robbing.
5. Winter stores: At the last harvest make sure enough honey remains in the brood box.

Care and storage of honey supers

• Wet frames coming back from the extractor can be given to the bees for a short time to clean (placed on top of a hive); but they should not be left out in the open in the middle of the apiary, as this encourages robbing and the spread of disease.
• Over winter, empty combs must be protected from wax moth: a cool, light and airy store; stacked boxes should be closed between them and mouse-proof.
• The outside of wooden boxes is repaired out of season and painted with an exterior paint that is harmless to bees; the inside surfaces are not painted.
• Broken handholds, opened corner joints and warped edges are fixed before the season begins.

Common mistakes

• Giving a super to a weak colony; the bees cannot keep the box warm and wax moth moves in.
• Adding a box without frames or with missing frames; the bees build irregular, wild comb in the gap.
• Mixing boxes of different sizes; gaps open up and bee space is lost.
• Harvesting unripe, uncapped honey.
• Taking all the supers without allowing for winter stores.