Supers on or off?

[Niall]

This being our first year have loads of questions. The current quandary is?

As we get ready for the autumn we’re now treating the brood box for Varroa.

We took off 5 frames for harvesting leaving 5 capped frames on the super, leaving the queen excluder in place.

Do we leave the super on over the winter with the honey on it?

As we’re treating for Varroa will that effect the taste of the honey, if any left next year?

FYI combined weight of the frames taken off was 6.7kgs

Thanks

Niall

 

[victor meldrew]

Having removed the frames, have you filled the space with empty frames/foundation ? Personally ,I would take the lot as 6/7 kilo's won't make much difference to the bees . I would feed with 2-1 sugar syrup in a rapid feeder and then treat with thymol . You could feed at the same time as treatment! It wouldn't make much difference to next years harvest as all you have fed would be used in next Springs build up
VM

 

[Cazza]

I'm sure you will receive different answers for this. It's really a case of deciding what you think is best. Personally I would take off all the supers. As long as the brood chamber has enough stores in it after Autumn feeding your bees should be fine. That's what I will do and I have not starved any bees yet.
Cazza

 

[enrico]

Whatever you decide to do take the queen excluder out!!

 

[Tom Bick]

Its supers off when treating with Thymol

As above ore

If you want to leave the bees with some of their honey for the winter then you can place the super under the BB with the full compliment of frames and queen excluder removed. This way the bees may remove the honey from the full frames or just take it when they need it. Also as it is on the bottom of the BB you stand a good chance of removing it in the spring without any brood in it. (famous last words)

 

[For want of a better word]

Uncap the lot and extract.
Take off the queen excluder
Put empty frames in super above the crownboard with feed hole open... bees will clear foundation into the brood box.
Not considered if Apiguard etc is ok whilst bees are clearing super, as I usually do this before treatment.
Grandfather used to store supers / foundation wet..... before the days of varroa.

 

[thepliedes]

Hi, I always leave one super on a single brood box over winter. When I treat with apiguard I take the super off and store it until thymol treatment is over, then I replace it. Honey is easily tainted with thymol and if you want to harvest this next year you should try to keep it tymol free.

Take off the queen excluder and put the tray of apiguard immediately on top of the frames and use an eke. Reduce your entrance, put your bottom board in and close the crown board. After a month when the treatment finishes remove eke and tray, replace your excluder and put back the super for winter feeding. That's what I do and that's been tried and tested. Good luck.

 

[Niall]

Thanks guys for all the advice, going to let the little darlings enjoy all the honey in the super over the winter. Have to put a second treatment of Apriguard on at the weekend.

Will leave the queen excluder where it is. Hoping there will be sufficient supplies to get the bees through the winter. Have a bag of fondant as a back up, as well as a couple of jerry cans of sugar syrup.

Happy hibernating

Niall

 

[meidel]

you mustn't leave the queen excluder as it is - you must remove it so that the queen will not be left behind to freeze when the other bees go up to the super to feed.

 

[Elaine]

If you are leaving them with a super on - you should remove the QE - or the bees might go up into the super and leave the queen trapped below where she may get too cold. Advice varies as to super above or below BB - if you have a wooden hive, I would suggest putting it below.

 

[Niall]

Advice taken, QE taken off

Thanks for all the help