Help - best approach to prepare for winter?

[FullerBee]

I’ve completed today’s hive inspection on my new colony from June this year.

BIAS in brood box abs Queen seen. There’s about 4/10 frames used for stores in brood but looks like 1 of those frames is empty, the other 3 have 50/50 capped/uncapped honey.

The super has 4 frames drawn but empty, 2 frames capped, 1 uncapped and the rest partial drawn comb.

I wanted to leave super on for winter stores but there just doesn’t seem to be enough in there.

what I am thinking is that next week I will move super box under brood to allow them to take that honey. I’ll then put empty super on top with a feeder?

Drones have been kicked out this last week but Queen is still laying and lots of worker brood at various stages. I’m a bit worried they might start starving…?
Thoughts?

 

[madasafish]

" BIAS in brood box abs Queen seen. There’s about 4/10 frames used for stores in brood but looks like 1 of those frames is empty, the other 3 have 50/50 capped/uncapped honey. "

SO about 6 frames of bees and BIAS.

Put the super underneath and the bees will transfer the honey up and leave approx 5 frames for bees.
Start feeding and your 5 frames will become 4 or 3.

You want a strong colony going to raise lots of winter bees in September/October. Feed too soon and there will less space.

As you are in the warm South, I would concentrate on getting your winter bees raised.. and then start feeding later. With the equivalent of 4/5 frames of honey, and forage still available, starvation is unlikely unless it rains solidly for months.

You did not mention varroa treatment. You need to treat. Now. Before winter bees are made.

So under super to get honey taken up.
Treat.
Feed later.

 

[FullerBee]

" BIAS in brood box abs Queen seen. There’s about 4/10 frames used for stores in brood but looks like 1 of those frames is empty, the other 3 have 50/50 capped/uncapped honey. "

SO about 6 frames of bees and BIAS.

Put the super underneath and the bees will transfer the honey up and leave approx 5 frames for bees.
Start feeding and your 5 frames will become 4 or 3.

You want a strong colony going to raise lots of winter bees in September/October. Feed too soon and there will less space.

As you are in the warm South, I would concentrate on getting your winter bees raised.. and then start feeding later. With the equivalent of 4/5 frames of honey, and forage still available, starvation is unlikely unless it rains solidly for months.

You did not mention varroa treatment. You need to treat. Now. Before winter bees are made.

So under super to get honey taken up.
Treat.
Feed later.

Thank you for your response. I forgot to mention treatment - so thank you for reminding me! I’ll leave off feeding for a while longer

 

[Hattie]

" BIAS in brood box abs Queen seen. There’s about 4/10 frames used for stores in brood but looks like 1 of those frames is empty, the other 3 have 50/50 capped/uncapped honey. "

SO about 6 frames of bees and BIAS.

Put the super underneath and the bees will transfer the honey up and leave approx 5 frames for bees.
Start feeding and your 5 frames will become 4 or 3.

You want a strong colony going to raise lots of winter bees in September/October. Feed too soon and there will less space.

As you are in the warm South, I would concentrate on getting your winter bees raised.. and then start feeding later. With the equivalent of 4/5 frames of honey, and forage still available, starvation is unlikely unless it rains solidly for months.

You did not mention varroa treatment. You need to treat. Now. Before winter bees are made.

So under super to get honey taken up.
Treat.
Feed later.

Hello, I’m also a newbie and in a bit of a pickle… I started with a nuc at the end of May and was planning to overwinter with a single brood box and perhaps give them a super of honey (they’ve produced way more than I expected and the Himalayan Balsam is still coming in). I was going to remove this super, treat them with Apiguard, then feed and replace the super). However, having cleared the bees down through a rhombus, there seems to be so many bees in the eke that attempting to place a tray of Apiguard will be challenging. Is this normal? Should I put a super on now to give them more space and then place the Apiguard above the super? I know that this treatment shouldn’t be used in a flow as it will contaminate the honey frames but if I effectively turn the super into a brood chamber and never use for extraction, is that an acceptable thing to do..?
I’m getting all muddled with it and just ultimately want to do the right thing for them so apologies for the questions….

 

[drex]

It may look a lot but I doubt it is. It is normal for bees cleared from 4 supers to find enough space in my double broods.
Give them a puff of smoke and just slip you Apiguard in.
I would just see how they do in the single brood for a while. Still plenty of time to feed if needed. Get the mite treatment in is the important thing so that you have healthy winter bees.
When I started, my bees over wintered quite happily in a single brood.
I think brood and a half is an abomination

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I’ve completed today’s hive inspection on my new colony from June this year.

BIAS in brood box abs Queen seen. There’s about 4/10 frames used for stores in brood but looks like 1 of those frames is empty, the other 3 have 50/50 capped/uncapped honey.

The super has 4 frames drawn but empty, 2 frames capped, 1 uncapped and the rest partial drawn comb.

I wanted to leave super on for winter stores but there just doesn’t seem to be enough in there.

what I am thinking is that next week I will move super box under brood to allow them to take that honey. I’ll then put empty super on top with a feeder?

Drones have been kicked out this last week but Queen is still laying and lots of worker brood at various stages. I’m a bit worried they might start starving…?
Thoughts?

Forget about the super for winter. Why make them empty it then attempt to get them to fill it again?
put it underneath for the bees to move the stores then put it away for the winter and just feed the bees in their brood box.
Looks like they have plenty of food at the moment.

 

[Hattie]

It may look a lot but I doubt it is. It is normal for bees cleared from 4 supers to find enough space in my double broods.
Give them a puff of smoke and just slip you Apiguard in.
I would just see how they do in the single brood for a while. Still plenty of time to feed if needed. Get the mite treatment in is the important thing so that you have healthy winter bees.
When I started, my bees over wintered quite happily in a single brood.
I think brood and a half is an abomination

 

[Hattie]

Thank you so much for your quick response - it’s so reassuring. I’ll get on and pop the Apiguard on!

 

[Hattie]

I’ve put the Apiguard on - this was the view under the crown board - they’re such prolific builders, I think they may have built comb around everything by the time I need to add the second tray (apologies to FullerBee for barging in on your thread - hopefully this might be of help to you too…)

 

[Swarm]

What a lovely sight.