> 'top supering too early can be harmful to bees, so early in the
> spring if they need more room it may be best to add it on the
> bottom'. Harmful how...presumably because hive heat will rise into
> the added space and thus away from the brood?  Sounds suspicious to
> me...

I changed the subject line from "Bottom Supering" because I am only
referring briefly to supering.  Supering is a separate topic.

I am talking about adding additional space in the early spring when a
colony is stimulated by an unseasonable early flow, previous to settled
weather and previous to the proper time for supering -- and before
splitting.

Just to be totally clear, the term, "supering" in my experience refers
to adding _honey boxes_ above the brood chamber(s). Honey boxes are
often called, "supers", but most pros I know refer to brood chambers as
"brood chambers" or "broods" or "seconds", and never as supers, although
when not on the hive, the terminology tends to be less precise and any
box, with or without frames" is often referred to casually as a "super".

Adding a brood chamber either above or below, is generally described as
"adding a brood chamber", not "supering".

"Bottom supering", moreover refers to the practice of putting additional
supers under any supers currently on the hive and above the brood
chambers, and is used where the existing supers are full and capped and
it is believed that the  bees might not go above the current stack and
into the new box(es).  Bottom supering is also a common practice in comb
honey production and where we want the bees to start drawing an entire
box of foundation.

Knowing the difference between supers and brood chambers is particularly
important these days when the brood combs may be exposed to chemicals we
don't want near our honey crop.

So, that clarified, back to the topic of how best to add additional
brood space when and early flow or leftover winter feed threatens to
plug a developing spring colony and reduce brood rearing or induce early
swarming.

Here is what I actually said previously.

--- begin quote ---

Adding supers too early can present complications.

I'd recommend placing any extra brood boxes you have under the hives.
This allows more room for brood and if the queen goes down, makes
splitting later easier.  If the weather gets cold again, or they do not
need the space, no harm is done.

Even adding a box with no frames below can be helpful.  If they draw
some comb down there, you can cut it off later, but in the meantime they
have space.

Later, when you are ready to produce honey, you can just insert an
excluder to separate any extra bottom boxes from the rest of the hive
and remove them, or just remove them on a cool morning if they are not
used by the colony.

--- end Quote ---

I mentioned the harm that can come from adding supers too early if the
timing proves to be unlucky.  This point seems incredibly obvious to me,
but I will try to spell it out.

No intelligent beekeeper would rip the lid off a hive and leave the hive
without the lid, but many, apparently, would remove an insulated lid and
plop cold supers onto a developing spring colony that until that moment
was nestled up against the warm lid, while extreme cold weather is still
a possibility and the nights are cold.

There is not much difference IMO, except that in the second instance,
there is a lid to deflect precipitation.  If the weather stays settled
for a week or so, probably no harm is done and the bees can adapt their
nest, but if a cold snap hits, especially with winds, harm -- visible or
not, immediate or deferred -- is bound to occur.

People often think that supering is the only possible response to a flow
that comes too early, but early supering can be harmful.  It all depends
on your area, your locations, the climate, the strength of the colonies,
the type of bee, and your management style -- and do you
feel lucky?

Bees manage their resources to suit the space in which they find
themselves.  Changing the volume and cluster position in that space
suddenly can stress colonies seriously, especially if done at a time
when the bees are no longer in winter cluster and are committed to
managing the maximum brood they are able to produce in that original
spacial configuration -- and at a time of year when the weather can
suddenly turn seriously cold.

While wintering, the cluster may be found anywhere in the hive.
Wherever they may be clustered, they are adapted to that position and
will not have a great deal of brood.  If they are down in the hive, they
use their resources in a manner appropriate to that situation.  If they
are up against an insulated lid, they will use their resources
differently and make use of the warmth reflected back to spread out in a
hemispherical cluster.

If the cluster is up against an insulted lid, that lid acts as a heat
mirror and due to heat conservation, allows the cluster to be a
hemisphere, not a sphere and the bees can cover roughly twice the comb
the same colony could cover if clustered further down in the hive.  If
they have sufficient food, and been stimulated by an early flow, the
colony will be fully extended in this configuration.

At a time of year when colonies are forced to cluster daily or
occasionally, removing that lid and placing a new box on top will remove
the heat mirror and suddenly require the colony to generate twice the
heat to continue to cover the combs they are on and force the bees to
change the shape of their cluster.  If the weather continues warm, no
damage will be done or the damage will be minimal, but if a cold snap
happens to coincide with this action, serious stress results, with
chilled brood and stress on adult bees.

(This a reason that reversing is not advised until the hives are strong
and the chance of cold weather is past. Reversing similarly makes it
difficult for the bees to cover all their brood if the weather turns on
them.)

Placing an extra brood box or even a completely empty box below will not
stress the colony, but will allow extra expansion room.

If the box placed under is a brood box, the combs will benefit from
being occupied and freshened up by the bees and Will come in very handy
at splitting time, which, obviously is still in the future, as is the
proper time for supering, usually after splitting.

Pulling feed frames and replacing with empty comb and perhaps foundation
against the hive walls is another alternative that is not likely to
shock the colony and which will relieve the congestion.

Although many add the second brood chamber above the single in spring
when using package bees, I have found it wise to place the new box
under.  Prolific queens will go down when they need the space and I see
better results.  Again, here is a case where the bees are accustomed to
having the warmth reflected from the insulated lid and it is a virtual
part of their cluster.

Removing that warm lid and replacing it with a new brood box would be no
problem on a hot day and if the nights are warm, but if not, adding that
box actually sets them back and stresses them, possibly causing chilled
brood and adult bee illnesses.

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