Further expansion

Bees usually overwinter in one hive box. During the spring and summer the colonies grow and thus need more space. Therefore the beekeepers add extra hive boxes, also called supers, so that the colony has enough room for both brood and honey. The added hive boxes usually contain frames; either built combs or wax foundation frames.

• In Finland, four new wax foundation frames are usually included in every newly added box until July. After July, when the main nectar flow is over, the bees usually do not build new cells/combs. No queen excluder is used in Finland, because the worker bees don't like to go through it. The first expansion is usually done carefully by waiting for the colony to fully fill the existing space (“delayed expanding”). The rest of the expansions are done slightly earlier, so that the bees don't feel too cramped.
• In Southern Norway, the first and second expansions are done with three to four wax foundation frames that are placed in the middle of the box.