Nufarmer Africa
Beekeeping: Adding supers to the hive
Ways of supering honey bees
There are basically two ways of supering, i.e.
adding additional honey storage supers to the
hive. One is known as top-supering and merely
means that each additional super is added to
the top of the stack. When it is necessary to remove sealed honey, then the bottom super, the
one just above the queen excluder or brood
chamber, is harvested. This method is considered to reduce labour during supering.
The other method is known as bottom-supering where the newly added super is placed
immediately above the queen excluder and
brood chamber. In this way the top super is the
oe one harvested each time. This type of supering has the advantage of reducing congestion
in the hive because it tends to draw bees up to
the half-finished supers above the newly added
super. It also has the effect of drawing the bees
into the new and possibly somewhat unattractive super. This method is only recommended
when queen excluders are present. Comb honey production would be more advantageous
with bottom-supering.
Bottom-supering does not provide for a
quick visual inspection for the need when to super. It is also more labour-intensive than top-supering. No significant differences in honey yields
were found when top- and bottom-supering
were compared.
The beekeeper should have at least three
shallow supers available per colony, which
would cover his needs for an average flow. More
supers are needed with strong flows, or to provide hive space for bees after harvesting.
Baiting of supers
Sometimes it is necessary to bait supers, especially if they contain only frames of wax foundation or plastic combs. Bees do not like to ascend
into and work these supers and this reluctance
appears to be aggravated by the presence of
a queen excluder, particularly the flat metal
or plastic sheep type. The bait is usually in the
form of a frame or two of at least partially drawn
comb, with some in the centre of the super. Bees
prefer to build and fill the centre combs of a nest
first. By exchanging the capped centre frames
with the unfinished outside ones, the bees can
be induced to finish their capping work in the
super.
Supering in advance
One of the most common errors made by beekeepers is that of not supplying the supers in
advance of the needs of the colony. In considering the requirements of the colony, it must
be remembered that this does not only mean
sufficient space in which to store honey, but includes space in which the bees can ripen honey.
In a good nectar flow the space needed for storing unripe honey is considerable, because it has
to be temporarily stored pending its ripening
before being properly stored and sealed.
The deposition of small spots of fresh white
wax on the top bar of the frames and the drawing out of the cell walls of the uppermost parts
of the comb adjacent to the same white wax, is a
sign that nectar is coming in and honey is being
produced. This means that additional space will
shortly be needed, and colonies can be supered.
The beginner should preferably add only one
super at a time. When all the frames in the super
contain some honey and the two to four combs
in the centre are partially sealed, another super
should be added. On the other hand, waiting
too long before supering might result in a brood
chamber, which might trigger the swarming impulse. Overcrowding can be noticed when bees
are hanging out at the hive entrance.
Source: Beekeeping in South Africa:
ARC – PPRI: Private Bag X134, Pretoria 0001
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plant have an impressive range of medicinal
uses, including growth promoting, antimicrobial and antioxidant effects. Moringa leaves contain a profile of important minerals, are a good
source of protein, vitamins, β -carotene, amino
acids and various phenolics. In recent studies
here in SA, Moringa oleifera leaf meal has been
proven to improve growth performance, digestibility, digestive organ size and carcass yield,
fatty acid composition and oxidative stability,
meat shelf-life attributes (colour, ultimate pH
and drip loss), as well as bone breaking strength,
ash content and mineral composition in broiler
chickens. Inclusion of the leaf meal in water at
placement of day old chicks performs the same
function as a stress pack, giving prolonged vitality to the birds.
Aspalathus linearis (Rooibos)
Aspalathus linearis (Rooibos) also known as
Red Bush is native to South Africa where its fermented form is normally used as a tea. Rooibos
is higher in antioxidants and vitamins than any
other type of tea. Aspalathin is known to be the
major flavonoid antioxidant of unfermented
Rooibos and constitutes approximately 15g/kg
of dry plant material; and phenolic acids such as
protocatechuic acid with antioxidant properties
are also present in Rooibos, thus increasing its
anti-oxidative potential. Similar health benefits
as in Moringa tree have long been realized by
consumers in SA and abroad. Nevertheless,
studies to explore its efficacy as an antioxidant
and antibiotic additive in poultry still need to be
explored; and one is currently being conducted.
African baobab tree (Adansonia digitata L.)
The protein and energy levels in the baobab
leaves, fruit pulp and seeds, respectively; suggest that parts of this plant can be used to an
advantage at low inclusion levels to reduce the
cost of broiler feeds. African baobab seeds are
a superb source of protein, and most essential
and non-essential amino acids. Previous studies show the baobab seed cake as a potential
low-cost and locally available protein source for
livestock feeding. The seeds have a protein value
that ranges from 20-36 % CP and an energy
level of 4.19 – 16.75 kJ/kg, which is comparable
to sunflower meal (24.4-36.7 CP and 19.1 – 20.2
kJ/kg) and soybean hulls (10.5-19.2 CP and 17.518.7 kJ/kg). The seeds also provide some of the
necessary fibre, vitamins and m [