Zee Byrd wrote:
>I have been reading Roger Morse's book "The New
>Complete Guide To Beekeeping".  In it he states that
>for cut comb honey, the placement of the second and
>subsequent supers is beneath the first filled super.
>The opposite is said of extracted honey - that the
>placement of the supers is above the first filled
>super.


The placement of empty supers under those filled, or nearly filled, is
called "bottom supering".  The reasons behind bottom supering, if your goal
is to harvest comb honey, is to minimize "travel stain".  If you were to
"top super" (placing empty supers on top of filled or partially filled
ones), the honey bees, on their way to the empty super would travel (walk)
across your freshly capped honey.  Propolis stain would then be deposited
from the bottom of the bee's feet onto the white cappings, staining them.
If your comb honey is for presentation or sale, travel stain detracts from
its cosmetic appearance.

Bottom supering will also provide a little congestion relief above the brood
chamber, as many beekeepers managing their colonies for comb production try
to maximize colony population and minimize brood space to force the bees to
"draw and fill" as quickly as they can.  If you do bottom super,
*especially* with drawn comb, a queen excluder is *highly* advisable or
you'll just be inviting the queen to move up and lay eggs in the empty comb!

>I had been told some time ago that supers were placed
>on the hive above the first 2/3 filled super.  I've
>also read, I believe by George Imrie, that he places 5
>supers on his hive at once.
>What order of placement of supers provides the best
>conditions for extracted honey?

Giving them enough storage space for honey as they need it.  The reason for
providing supers as the last one is nearing completion is to prevent the
bees from chewing up the comb in the "excess" supers.  Bees will do this
occasionally (and especially with supers of foundation vs. drawn comb) if an
over-abudance of supers are supplied at one time and the nectar flow is
light.  However, don't forget that bees need SPACE to evaporate down the
nectar.

Top supering allows the natural instincts of the bees to use the empty comb
above capped honey storage for use in evaporating down the nectar being
brought in from the field.  The bees will usually bring the evaporated honey
downward into the super they're filling when it's ready.  That's also why
drawn comb works best for top supering after a point... the farther up you
go, the less bees seem to want to draw out frames of foundation.  If that's
the case, it's best to add those supers of foundation one or two positions
above the brood nest for drawing.

I would suggest hedging on an over-abundance of supers for honey storage if
you can't determine (or time) their needs, or you'll miss the opportunity of
maximizing your harvest.

>What order of
>placement provides the best "working environment" for
>the bees?

The answer is so varied, depending on hive strength, brood management,
nectar flows, whether supers contain drawn comb or foundation, weather, etc.
that I think you'll find it has a lot to do with your particular location,
race or strain of honey bee being kept, etc.  Experiment and find out what
works best for your bees... that's half the fun of beekeeping!

--David Scribner <[log in to unmask]> - Ballwin, MO, USA
  Niche on the Net! - <www.bigfoot.com/~dscribner>