How long do you leave an empty super on?

[Stedic]

Might be a daft question. I've got strong colonies but it seems the flow has stopped here. If I clear the supers I'll have a lot of bees in the brood box. So do you leave an empty super on just to give them space?

Obviously I want them filling up the brood box with winter stores. We get a decent ivy flow (usually) but I guess that's a way off.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I always clear bees into enough space for them. This week I took six supers off one hive and left them two uncapped ones underneath and returned one wet one.
I always leave at least one at this time of year.
By mid/end August they are usually back down to one brood box

 

[Murox]

Might be a daft question. I've got strong colonies but it seems the flow has stopped here. If I clear the supers I'll have a lot of bees in the brood box. So do you leave an empty super on just to give them space?

Obviously I want them filling up the brood box with winter stores. We get a decent ivy flow (usually) but I guess that's a way off.

Give them an emptied super, maybe a frame or two of honey, depends what's already in the brood box. As you say a bit early for ivy, as the weather is turning, well where I live anyway, be sure they don't go hungry .

 

[Stedic]

Give them an emptied super, maybe a frame or two of honey, depends what's already in the brood box. As you say a bit early for ivy, as the weather is turning, well where I live anyway, be sure they don't go hungry .

Yeah a couple have decent supplies in the supers but very, very little in the brood box. I guess I can give those hives the wet supers to clean up in the interim. Seems to have been a real feast or famine season for mine, they're either full of nectar and trying to swarm or running out of supplies. Odd.

I'm tempted to unite a couple of those that are struggling to firm things up before winter, I guess that might help too.

 

[rodneydavies]

is there no such thing as too much room