how do i get my bees to survive the winter

[loadedtone]

My nuc has grown from 3 frames to a full hive filling my national brood box with bees and 7 supers. I have taken 3 frames of capped honey leaving 5 frames of partly capped.

Now I want these bees to survive the winter, do keep the super on? if I do, then how do I feed them for the winter?

 

[burren]

7 supers, thats fantastic

 

[burren]

You have the option, if you think that they will need it to place the super underneath the brood box for the winter. You may find them untouched come April. How is the brood pattern looking? How many frames of brood do you have?

 

[MuswellMetro]

My nuc has grown from 3 frames to a full hive filling my national brood box with bees and 7 supers. I have taken 3 frames of capped honey leaving 5 frames of partly capped.

Now I want these bees to survive the winter, do keep the super on? if I do, then how do I feed them for the winter?

place the part filled super under the brood box, your bees will move it up to the brood box ...well they are bees so lets re phrase that,,,might move it up

if they have filled 7 supers it would suggest they are a strong large colony by now, so you may need to run it anyway on brood and a half

 

[drstitson]

presumably OP is talking about 7, or is it 8, super frames.

OP - by partially capped what do you mean? partially filled and uncapped or well filled and partially capped? how much capped % wise?

 

[MuswellMetro]

presumably OP is talking about 7, or is it 8, super frames.

OP - by partially capped what do you mean? partially filled and uncapped or well filled and partially capped? how much capped % wise?

hmmmm, yes i expect you are right so that's about half a super of honey about right this year for a nuc in our area

i expect he only has two supers in total....must read between the lines

 

[ratcatcher]

My nuc has grown from 3 frames to a full hive filling my national brood box with bees and 7 supers. I have taken 3 frames of capped honey leaving 5 frames of partly capped.

Now I want these bees to survive the winter, do keep the super on? if I do, then how do I feed them for the winter?

I'd leave the super on, remove queen excluder if fitted, then put on crown board with an empty super above that, use that area to feed sugar syrup as needed

 

[Finman]

.
I did not understand how much hives has bees, how much brood and how much other frames.

However, hive is small and super MUST be taken OFF.

second question is, how much is a proper number of wintering brood frames.

Now we should know how many brood frames the hive have now. It tells how big the winter cluster will be.

.

 

[Finman]

I'd leave the super on, remove queen excluder if fitted, then put on crown board with an empty super above that, use that area to feed sugar syrup as needed

wintering does not go that way.

.

 

[oliver90owner]

wintering does not go that way

First, the poster should decide how the colony is to be over-wintered - just the single brood or a brood and a super. Then tell us more precisely what the colony is comprised of. Then perhaps we might be able to make some sensible suggestions.

When I ran deeps, I overwintered with a brood and a super, particularly with an OMF. I still do that, effectively. Just with a single frame, nowadays, instead of two.

 

[Finman]

The last cycle of amount of brood rules, how much the colony need space.

Of course you may give douple space, but it makes only problems.
In spring you will have hands full of winter sugar which has thymol aroma.

A big colony stands well extra room, but a tiny colony must work hard to keep their heat in the cluster.

6 box colony needs brood and half for winter but not a colony which biggest size has been brood and half.

.

 

[Finman]

.
My friend feeded too much winter sugar last autumn..

Next spring she had colonies in 2 brood and every hive had one box sugar.

So bees started to make brood. Brood was blocked with winter food and bees must keep vain box warm. I took sufar frames off and we stored them. We almost succeeded to feed sugar to false swarm when they draw foundations.

Too much room = too much feeding = sugar bound brood space in Spring = useless work

 

[itma]

wintering does not go that way

First, the poster should decide how the colony is to be over-wintered - just the single brood or a brood and a super. Then tell us more precisely what the colony is comprised of. Then perhaps we might be able to make some sensible suggestions.
...

More info needed, and if possible, more clearly.

How much stores, how much brood in the brood box?

I can't see any harm in putting the part filled shallow box underneath for the winter. It may not be needed, but it might be his simplest means of storage. And reduce direct draughts from the open mesh floor.
And, once its under, whether or not feeding is required (missing info), feeding should at least be be possible without overly compromising the quality of next year's honey. And whatever work-in-progress there may be in those shallow frames reduces the amount of sugar to buy.