1st Year BeeKeeping
Examination at 7 to 10 day intervals will show progress made by the colony and the need for more comb space or stores. When the bees are beginning to work the last comb in the brood box the colony is ready for a super for the storage of honey or to provide clustering space for the increasing population of bees. To avoid giving the colony too much room at this stage the super should, preferably, be a shallow one. It should contain a full complement of frames fitted with foundation, spaced the same distance apart as those in the brood box. The crownboard is removed and a queen excluder placed on top of the brood box; the super is placed on the queen excluder and the crownboard on the super, followed by the roof.
Feeding can well be continued until the bees have made a good start at drawing out the foundation, but should be discontinued before any syrup is stored in the drawn combs. It is unlikely that a further super will be required in the first year, but if one is needed it should be given on top of the first.