Perhaps some more experienced beeks will chime in with wiser thoughts.
It is never the same what I say with my 40 years experince. If some give some " nicer" idea, it atracts of course, does it have sence or not.
The basic to give supers are that colony expands. If you do NOT give room bees will swarm. If hive is big and it doest not get nectar it will again swarm. And when hive is going to be too full of nectar bees swarm again. And when hive swarms it stops foraging.
When you have a big hive before nectar flow it is like loaded cannon. It waits for weather and blooming and take that what is on the field. If flowers near hives have nectar enough it same how good your hives are.
FIRST you must have room enough for bees and NEXT room for in coming nectar. To get one box capped honey you need 2 box more where they spread the moist nectar.
When they start to forage and the topmost box is full of honey you should add 2 box more that they have space for more honey and room where they evaporate moisture away. You should inspect weekly how soon they fill boxes.
When I take my hives to canola field I put 4 empty box at the beginning. It depends on weather how they fill boxes. It is is moist soil and weather 20C-25C bees bill the 6 box hive during one week. After that week I must take 3 capped box away and I give 3-4 box more. Half full boxes I lift the topmost. Bees have stock nectar in every corner of hive. When nectar is ripe they lift it to upper boxes and cap it. If weather is favorable all hives get over 200 lbs honey from canola field during 3 week. I must be ready for that.
When hive is near full or it is too hot inside, they cannot work any more and they start to hang on outer wall.
In my country July is ordinary yield season. August we get almost nothing. In June hives are so small that they are not able to gather.
It depends first of all on pastures what you get. If you have 6 box hive, you may get 80 lbs, 150 lbs or 200 lbs as average yield.
But ordinary yield season is about 3 weeks long. Then it is time to act when situations needs it. It vain effort to nurse hives whole year around if you are not ready to work when it is necessary. Many have splended ideas how to get rid off that job. But it is simple : FULL BOXES TO CAR AND EMPTY BOXES ON THE MIDDLE OF HIVE.
AND FROM WHERE YOU GET EMPTY BOXES: EXCTRACT FULL BOXES as soon as possible!
Here is loaded cannon. I use to put two weak hives together for main yield.http://bees.freesuperhost.com/yabbfiles/Attachments/Kuva_049.jpg