Too late to super for winter stores?

[Queen Brenda]

I recently posted about a sealed QC in September and was concerned that she wouldn't get mated in time. Worries proved groundless as I now have masses or lovely BIAS in a single brood box.

I was intending to feed candy over the winter, starting soonish as the colony had been slow to build up and store ( which is probably why a 1 yr old queen was superseded). Now, with this weather, and because I am in sunny S London, is it too late to add a super for them to fill, which I will then nadir in a month or so? The brood box currently has capped and uncapped honey and plenty of healthy-looking brood, in fact so much brood that I fear not enough space for winter stores. Presumably it wouldn't do any harm to super, nadir and also feed candy?

 

[Erichalfbee]

It's going to get cold so what are the chances of the bees capping those stores?
And if they do then by nadiring you make them move those stores up as the brood emerges....more work.
If you feel they can fill a super and cap it this late in the year then leave it on top as brood and a half then put an excluder between boxes NEXT year.
Better still if stores are short you can feed inverted syrup or put a big slab of fondant straight onto the top bars.

 

[Ely]

I agree. Too late to be thinking about supering. If they are light on food then feed syrup.

 

[Amari]

It's going to get cold so what are the chances of the bees capping those stores?
And if they do then by nadiring you make them move those stores up as the brood emerges....more work.
If you feel they can fill a super and cap it this late in the year then leave it on top as brood and a half then put an excluder between boxes NEXT year.
Better still if stores are short you can feed inverted syrup or put a big slab of fondant straight onto the top bars.

Invert syrup eg. Ambrosia or Belgosuc contains even less water than 'thick' 2:1 sugar (sucrose) solution and will be processed and capped by the bees more quickly