Adding Supers and Space Management

Adding boxes (supering, adding a super) means giving a growing colony room to lay, store and draw comb by placing a new box on top of the hive. A box added at the right time prevents swarming and increases the honey crop; a box added late triggers swarming, while giving space too early or too much chills and strains the colony.

Why does adding boxes matter so much?

Lack of space is one of the strongest triggers of the swarming urge. When the queen can't find empty cells to lay in, young bees have nothing to do and the hive becomes congested, the colony prepares to divide. On the other hand, more space than the colony can warm and defend also causes problems: brood at the edges gets chilled, empty combs are left open to wax moth and development slows.

The essence of adding boxes is catching the right moment between these two extremes. From spring to the end of the main flow, space management is the most direct signal the beekeeper gives the colony.

When should you add a box?

The usual rule: add a new box when the existing box is about three-quarters full. In a ten-frame Langstroth hive this means 7–8 frames covered with bees and in use.

Signs to look for:

• Bee density: When you lift the lid, bees spill over the top bars and the outer frames are covered with bees too.
• Brood area: Most of the brood frames are full and there are few empty cells left for the queen to lay in.
• Fresh nectar: Glistening fresh nectar has started to build up in the outer frames and above the brood.
• White wax: Fresh white wax can be seen on the top bars and in gaps; this shows the colony is ready to draw comb.
• Forage calendar: The main nectar flow in your area will start within a few weeks.

The rule is simple: give space before the flow. A box added after the flow has started is often too late; the colony may already have begun swarm preparations.

Brood box or honey super?

The role of the added box depends on the colony's stage of development and the beekeeper's system:

• Second brood box: Added in spring to give a fast-growing colony more laying space. Beekeepers who work with a double brood box let the colony overwinter in two boxes.
• Honey super: Nectar storage space for the flow. It is usually separated from the brood box by a queen excluder, and its contents are harvested.

Where should the new box go?

There are two common approaches:

• Top supering: The new box goes on top. It is simple, disturbs the hive little and is safer in cool weather. The bees may take a little while to move up.
• Bottom supering (placing the new super underneath): The new empty box goes under the super that is filling, directly above the brood box. Driven by the urge to fill the space above the brood, the bees work faster. Suitable when the flow is strong and the weather is warm.

To draw the bees into the new box, it helps to put one or two drawn combs or a frame of honey taken from the brood box in the middle of the first super (bait frame, bait comb). Seeing familiar comb, the bees move into the new space more quickly.

Drawn comb or foundation?

• Drawn comb: The bees store nectar in it straight away. It is the most productive option during a flow and also relieves swarming pressure quickly.
• Foundation: The bees must draw it out first, which takes energy and young bees. But it is the only way to renew and increase your stock of comb.

The practical approach is to mix the two: placing single sheets of foundation between drawn combs encourages the bees to draw it and reduces the risk of crooked comb. Only give foundation when there is a flow on and the colony is strong; otherwise the bees will ignore it or chew it.

Should you use a queen excluder?

A queen excluder is a sheet with gaps that workers can pass through but the larger queen cannot. It keeps the super free of brood, makes harvesting easier and gives cleaner honey.

• Pros: No brood in the super; the queen is easier to find; harvested honey contains no brood residue.
• Cons: In weak colonies and combined with undrawn foundation, it can slow the bees' move upwards.
• Tip: Putting drawn comb or a bait comb directly above the excluder speeds up the bees' crossing.

Only fit the excluder once the colony is strong enough to work above it, and remove it at the end of the flow; never leave an excluder in the hive over winter, because the queen may be left behind below as the cluster moves up.

Common mistakes when adding boxes

• Being late: A box added once the colony is congested may not prevent swarming; if preparations have begun, further measures are needed.
• Too much space for a weak colony: A box the bees cannot cover chills the brood on cold nights and becomes a refuge for pests.
• Leaving frames out of a box: The bees build irregular brace and wild comb in the extra space between frames.
• Adding an empty box: A box left without frames leads the bees to build free-hanging comb down from the roof.
• Leaving too many boxes for winter: The colony loses heat and stores in a volume it cannot keep warm.

Taking space back: reducing the hive

Space management works both ways. In early spring and in autumn, space is reduced:

1. Early spring: Weak colonies are confined with a dummy board to the number of frames they can cover; frames are added as they build up.
2. After the harvest: Supers are removed and the bees are fitted into the brood box.
3. Before winter: Empty and unused frames are removed; the colony is reduced to a volume it can keep warm and in which it can surround its stores.

When taking off supers, a bee escape board can be used to clear the bees; it lets bees move down out of the super but makes it hard for them to get back up.