# when to add hive bodies?



## sleeps723 (Sep 10, 2006)

this year i started out with 2 new hives. just 1 hive body with bottom board. no honey supers.
i knew that i wouldn`t get any honey this year but i felt that the important thing was getting them established and strong for next year.

the hives are now really strong and i have already added another hive body with comb already drawn out. both hive bodies are now full of brood and honey and i have had alot of bee activity. but it has been raining alot here, east texas, and as i understand it pollen takes 3 days to be produced by flowers and stuff.

about 2 weeks ago i added a medium honey super, got my frames from idee. thanks idee, and they have both been really working hard to draw it out, they have about 2 frames started now but i was surprised at how much they have gotten done. there is alot of humidity and its been in the upper 80s and lower 90s for awhile and alot of my bees are hanging out on the fronts of the hives. but i`ve got alot of pasture around where i live just full of clover and flowers and a couple hundred acres of trees behind me.

when and under what conditions do i add another hive body? 

a friend of mine is going to plant 30 to 50 acres of clover in one of his smaller pastures and i was wondering how many hives i could place there?


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## dcross (Aug 12, 2005)

If you have strong hives and clover blooming, get all the drawn comb you own on them!


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## sleeps723 (Sep 10, 2006)

i dont have anymore drawn comb i would have to use fresh frames.


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## Iddee (Sep 25, 2005)

I would leave them at 2 hive bodies each and just add supers as needed, unless you plan to use the hive bodies as honey supers.

You will want to add another super when the top super is 8 to 9 frames drawn out. If you use hive bodies for honey, they will weigh approx. 90 lbs. when full and yield almost 5 gal. of honey.
Glad you liked the frames.


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## sleeps723 (Sep 10, 2006)

do the bees care what size honey supers you use? how much honey does a med super hold and what would the weight be?


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## Iddee (Sep 25, 2005)

With bees, the bigger the better. Not so with beekeepers. Beeks like 60 lb., 10 quart mediums better than 95 lb. 18 quart deeps.


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## sleeps723 (Sep 10, 2006)

could u add 2 mediums at the same time?


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## Iddee (Sep 25, 2005)

With drawn comb, you can add 3 or even more. With foundation, it is best to add one at a time. They will remove the foundation wax in one to draw the other.


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