Dealing with post swarm hives

[BeeBo]

I have two hives, both of which have swarmed, one on 12th May, the other on the 14th May. Both hives are brood and half and prior to swarms were storing honey well, in fact there were two supers on each although the second ones hadn't been used significantly. Frames are mostly uncapped.
The questions are:
1. Should I just leave the supers on as the remaining bees seem to be rattling around in all that space now?
2. If I take them off, how should I store them until putting them back again once the numbers increase again?

 

[oliver90owner]

Drawn comb or undrawn foundation (or rather, comb or foundation)? Honey in all frames?

Any signs of the queens laying? If not, there will be a brood cycle and three weeks before any foragers from the new queen.

Any flow currently or anticipated? Are stores increasing or decreasing?

Did you retrieve the swarms? If so, will you be considering uniting with the new queen(s)?

I would be considering all the above, if they were mine, and only had them (and possibly the swarmed bees). So no simple answer without all the options and information/observations.

As for storing? Only frames devoid of honey or completly capped. One box on top of another and sealed from incursion by unwanted fauna.

 

[BeeBo]

Drawn comb or undrawn foundation (or rather, comb or foundation)? Bottom supers mostly comb, top ones foundation which they were starting to draw before they swarmed.

Honey in all frames? No, about 8 of the 11 in the bottom supers

Any signs of the queens laying? No. If not, there will be a brood cycle and three weeks before any foragers from the new queen.

Any flow currently or anticipated? Difficult question for a beginner but surrounded by lots of trees including chestnuts, hawthorn just finishing, elder flowers just starting and won't be long before lime is flowering.

Are stores increasing or decreasing? About the same as before they swarmed.

Did you retrieve the swarms? One of them. See later post! If so, will you be considering uniting with the new queen(s)?

I would be considering all the above, if they were mine, and only had them (and possibly the swarmed bees). So no simple answer without all the options and information/observations.

As for storing? Only frames devoid of honey or completly capped. One box on top of another and sealed from incursion by unwanted fauna.

Thank you for your help.

 

[oliver90owner]

Seems to me that you can safely remove the empty supers, if you decide they are not going to be required for the foreseeable future. Easy enough to replace, as and when required. You could remove one capped and one empty, even.

Less unwanted space is good at all times. Maybe not so important if weather comes warm (as it should, at this time of the year) compared with earlier in the season. That was an 'if' and we have had miserable Junes before now....