One of the many matters that keeps beekeeping as a passion with me is that
despite 44 years of beekeeping I keep learning new things.  The latest was
Allen's recent comment that was (approximately) '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...

Some 'old timers' used to winter in three deeps, not because of added food,
but to provide added room for brood and thus delay swarming.  One outfit
around here (upstate NY) still does.  If one wants to deal with three
deeps, this works to delay swarming (IMHO).  I have tried it and found that
in the spring the top deep is usually pretty full of honey, and the brood
is concentrated in the middle deep.  As spring advances the typical pattern
(if there is such a thing as 'typical') is for the brood to initially move
up, but then move back down to the middle deep as the top deep fills with
nectar.  'Typically' the bottom deep is always empty!  (Which is why I no
longer use three deeps.)

I'd like to say I get supers on 2-3 weeks before dandelions, which around
here would be mid-April (dandelion bloom beginning around May 1).  As a
practical matter, I'm often getting them on May 1-15.  We regularly have
freezing nights until May 15 or so.

Anyone else super below the brood nest?  Relative to dandelion bloom...when
do others add supers above the brood nest?

Lloyd

-- 
Lloyd
Office/Honey House 518-370-4989
Cell 518-573-8246
Lloyd Spear Beekeeper Inc.
Ross Rounds Inc.

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