Yes, leaving honey supers on during a nectar dearth is a highly effective management strategy. Doing so transforms the supers from a harvest vessel into a critical life-support system for the hive. This practice provides the bees with immediate access to essential nutrition when natural resources in the environment disappear.
In the absence of natural nectar, honey supers function as a vital caloric safety net. Keeping them accessible ensures the colony has sufficient reserves to prevent starvation, while simultaneously reducing the labor and expense associated with external supplemental feeding.
The Role of Supers During Scarcity
Understanding the Nectar Dearth
A nectar dearth occurs when blooming flowers are scarce or weather conditions prevent bees from foraging. During these periods, the colony's nutritional intake drops precipitously.
Without an influx of fresh nectar, the colony must switch from production mode to survival mode. They immediately begin consuming stored resources to maintain hive temperature and brood health.
The Super as a Critical Reserve
The primary reference highlights that honey stored within the supers serves as a critical food reserve.
By leaving the supers in place, you provide the colony with a seamless transition to their emergency pantry. This mimics their natural behavior in the wild, where they would rely on the upper ranges of the hive for food during lean times.
Preventing Colony Starvation
The most significant risk during a dearth is starvation. A strong colony can consume its brood nest stores rapidly.
Leaving the supers on mitigates this risk entirely. It ensures the bees have a calorie-dense food source available 24/7, safeguarding the population against sudden collapses due to hunger.
Reducing Maintenance Requirements
Managing a hive during a dearth often requires the beekeeper to provide external food, such as sugar syrup or fondant.
However, utilizing the honey supers reduces the need for external supplemental feeding. This saves the beekeeper time and reduces the cost of purchasing sugar and mixing feed.
Understanding the Trade-offs
Consumption of Harvestable Product
The primary trade-off of this strategy is the consumption of your potential crop.
The reference notes that bees will consume the stored honey. This means the volume of honey available for you to harvest later may decrease significantly, or disappear altogether, depending on the length of the dearth.
Assessing Resource Value
You are essentially trading potential honey profits for colony security.
While honey is more valuable on the market than sugar syrup, it is also nutritionally superior for the bees. You must weigh the financial loss of the honey against the labor savings and health benefits of not feeding syrup.
Making the Right Choice for Your Goal
Deciding whether to leave supers on depends on balancing your production goals with your risk tolerance for colony loss.
- If your primary focus is Colony Survival: Leave the supers on to guarantee the bees have immediate access to their natural food source without interruption.
- If your primary focus is Low-Maintenance Management: Leave the supers on to eliminate the labor, mess, and scheduling required for mixing and applying sugar syrup.
- If your primary focus is Cost Reduction: Leave the supers on to avoid the direct financial expense of purchasing commercial feed or bulk sugar.
Trusting the colony's natural stores is often the most reliable way to navigate a resource gap.
Summary Table:
| Aspect | Strategy: Leave Supers On | Strategy: Remove Supers |
|---|---|---|
| Colony Health | High: Access to natural, nutrient-dense honey | Variable: Depends on timely supplemental feeding |
| Labor Requirement | Low: Self-sustaining hive management | High: Regular mixing and application of syrup |
| Risk Level | Low: Immediate 24/7 food access | High: Risk of starvation if feeding is delayed |
| Harvest Yield | Lower: Bees consume potential honey crop | Higher: Preserves honey for beekeeper use |
| Financial Cost | Low: No expenditure on sugar/feed | Moderate: Costs for sugar, fondant, and feeders |
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