It is officially time to “super up” my favourite colony! Today at the Bee Sanctuary, we returned to this powerhouse hive for a follow-up inspection to see if our management strategy from two weeks ago worked.

Last time we were here, we placed an empty frame in the middle of the brood nest to give the queen more space.

• The Result: In just 14 days, the bees built out that entire frame and the queen filled it with eggs. Seeing a fully capped brood frame created in such a short window is a testament to how strong this colony is as we hit the spring flow.
• Drone Management: We noticed a high percentage of drone brood (the larger, domed cells). While it’s normal for a colony to raise drones in spring, these frames are about a quarter drone. I’ll be keeping an eye on this to ensure they aren’t preparing to swarm!

Preparing for the Harvest: The Super

With bees now covering eight frames of the brood box, the hive is officially reaching capacity.

• The Super Upgrade: To prevent them from feeling cramped and potentially swarming, we’ve added a honey super on top.
• The “Head Start”: We used a super that already has drawn comb from a previous honey extraction. Since the bees don’t have to “sweat” out new wax, they can get straight to work storing nectar.

Lessons in Spring Growth

This hive is a perfect example of what a thriving Johannesburg bee colony should look like right now: active, organized, and expanding rapidly. Watching this colony go from a rescue to a production hive is what the journey from 3 to 300 is all about!

Want to see the difference between drone brood and worker brood?

I’ll be posting a close-up comparison video soon, so make sure to Subscribe and hit the like button! Your support helps us save more bees across Gauteng.

Beekeeper’s Question: How much drone brood do you typically see in your hives before you start worrying about swarming? Let’s talk strategy in the comments below!

How should we proceed? Would you like to see a follow-up on the super in two weeks, or are you ready for our next garden swarm rescue?