Honey in wrong location

[mystang89]

I was working in the hive today talking the drone frame out as a way of fighting off the Verra mite and I noticed that the bees were putting all their honey in the middle brood frames and not in the super.

I use the smaller supers and have the normal size brood boxes so I can't put the honey from the brood chamber in the super.

How can I redirect the bees to put the honey were it is supposed to be?

 

[babsbag]

My bees always put honey in the brood frames before the super. That honey is theirs for the winter. They will work their way up as the brood boxes get full.

 

[Maggiesdad]

Beekeeping is so very local... here in Central Va the dearth has been coming on for the past 3 weeks. It has really clamped down this past week, lawns are drying up and the ground is cracking open. We didnt get any of TS Cindy's moisture.
I noticed my bees backfilling the broodnest two weeks ago. This is their way of putting the brakes on the queen's egglaying, and downsizing the overall size of the colony. These are good traits. But dont forget that the varroa population doubles every 16 days, and they do not ramp down with the queen.

 

[mystang89]

Last year my bees put the honey in the brood frames but it was the outside frames. The inside frames only had honey on the outside of them in an arc around the larva. From my understanding the brood chamber is supposed to be filled mainly with larva but at this point 6 it of 9 of my frames are honey .

Just wanted also to add that there is NO honey in the super. Not even wax.

 

[Maggiesdad]

My point is - for whatever reason, the 'hive mind' has shifted from expansion mode to survival mode.

Sometimes they can be coaxed back into a building phase by feeding them syrup.

 

[babsbag]

The star thistle is just showing up in CA so my bees are pretty happy right now. Once the thistle is done then that is pretty much it until late Aug. One hive has next to no honey so I will be feeding them this winter.

 

[soarwitheagles]

mystang89,

I wish I could help you, but I too am fairly new at working with bees. One thought went through my mind...but it would not work until your bees have drawn out foundation in the top and bottom box...

You could add sugar syrup and pollen patties to stimulate the bees to build more foundation.

Then, it may be possible to install a queen excluder between the two boxes.

Not sure how your flow is right now...if it is strong, then you would not need to add sugar syrup or pollen sub.

Just a thought!

 

[mystang89]

I ended up taking the upper brood box and placing it on top of the super I have then putting a queen excluder between the two.

The upper brood box was NOTHING but honey now along the two drone frames I placed in it.

We'll see what happens.