Honey supers are the part of a beehive in which honey is collected. A super is a box that is placed on top of the hive, and inside of every super, there are 8-10 hanging frames. These frames hold honey and honeycomb. Honey supers usually contain shallow or medium-sized frames. These smaller frames are easier to remove and easier to extract honey from. On the other hand, the heart of a beehive (the “brood box”) is usually made of deep frames. This way, the beehive has plenty of space to operate and grow.
The number of honey supers you need depends on the size of your hive and the amount of honey your bees produce. When major nectar sources like clover, apples, blackberries, and other flowers and fruits are in bloom, you are in a “nectar flow.” A nectar flow usually leads to a “honey flow.” A honey flow is when bees can produce a large amount of honey. During a honey flow, you will need more honey supers than you would need during a quieter time of year.
A single hive can have at least 2-3 supers. When your first honey super is about ⅔ full of honey, add another super on top of it. Repeat this process until you’re ready to remove a super. You can take a honey super out when all its frames are fully “capped.” This means that all the honey in the honeycomb has been capped off by wax, which indicates that it is ready to be extracted. Your bees should never fill out an entire honey super and have no new super to move on to!
When considering the number of honey supers you want to add to your hive, also think about how many frames you will put in each super. One super holds 9 to 10 frames. If you use ten frames, your honeycomb will be thinner. If you use nine frames, your honeycomb will have more room to grow inside the honey super. It will be thicker and may yield more honey.