Winter prep question

[Monkey]

I've left a super on my NS hive for the bees to feed from over Winter. I understand that I should remove the QE, but won't this mean that the Q will start to lay brood in the super in the Spring?

I want to keep things simple, while I gain experience, so would only want to be working with brood in the BB, not a super as well.

Am I making a mistake by leaving the super in place, or is this perfectly normal and can be dealt with easily next Spring? I've already taken more honey than I need, so I'm very happy for the bees to keep some of their own efforts.

Thank you.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Yes, the queen will start laying in the super in the spring.
During your first 'proper' spring inspection, locate the queen, put her in the brood box then replace the queen excluder below the super, the bees will clean out and backfill the cells with honey once the brood emerges.
It is always a better plan to extract all the supers and feed the brood box for the winter.
At a push, if you have one super with unripe/uncapped honey in, you can nadir (put below the brood box) for the winter, but it is too late now, this also gives the bees more room to move downward whilst packing stores above.

 

[Monkey]

Brilliant. Thank you.

 

[Curly green fingers]

Yes, the queen will start laying in the super in the spring.
During your first 'proper' spring inspection, locate the queen, put her in the brood box then replace the queen excluder below the super, the bees will clean out and backfill the cells with honey once the brood emerges.
It is always a better plan to extract all the supers and feed the brood box for the winter.
At a push, if you have one super with unripe/uncapped honey in, you can nadir (put below the brood box) for the winter, but it is too late now, this also gives the bees more room to move downward whilst packing stores above.

Would it be to late to try and get them to move it into the brood via a eke and crown board with two 9 mm holes drilled near opposite corners ? Then removing the super?
Just a thought.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Would it be to late to try and get them to move it into the brood via a eke and crown board with two 9 mm holes drilled near opposite corners ? Then removing the super?
Just a thought.

I think you've missed the point - moving them out (if that's what the OP wanted) is simple - just use a clearer board, no need to faff around with some jury rigged Heath Robinson affair,but the OP wants to leave it on overwinter for feeding.
In the spring, there will be brood in the super - valuable, much needed brood for the spring buildup (let's ignore any ramblings from the shook swarm brigade shall we?) there will be no need then to get the bees out of the super, they will be needed to nurse the existing brood - just the queen.

 

[Curly green fingers]

Fair enough!

 

[benjamindonaldson]

You could put the super beneath the brood box. Throughout the winter they will likely move up so will probably be predominantly in the brood box. Then in spring you could put the brood box back below the super and reintroduce the queen excluder.


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[jenkinsbrynmair]

You could put the super beneath the brood box. Throughout the winter they will likely move up so will probably be predominantly in the brood box. Then in spring you could put the brood box back below the super and reintroduce the queen excluder.


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Not if that super is full of stores, certainly not at this time of year, it would unduly stress the colony trying to rearrange the brood nest.
I wish people would read the OP properly - he is not saying he has bees up in the super now and wants to get them down, that concern is for the spring when stores have been consumed, the bees are at the highest point of the hive and the queen is laying where the stores were.

 

[Swarm]

You could put the super beneath the brood box. Throughout the winter they will likely move up so will probably be predominantly in the brood box. Then in spring you could put the brood box back below the super and reintroduce the queen excluder.


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Their stores will then be below them, where they don't want it and in the coldest place. Not a good idea.

 

[benjamindonaldson]

Not if that super is full of stores, certainly not at this time of year, it would unduly stress the colony trying to rearrange the brood nest.

I wish people would read the OP properly - he is not saying he has bees up in the super now and wants to get them down, that concern is for the spring when stores have been consumed, the bees are at the highest point of the hive and the queen is laying where the stores were.

Did you even read what I wrote. I know what the question is and provided a solution used by a lot of experienced beekeepers. This was a suggestion I don’t understand your need to be rude.


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[jenkinsbrynmair]

Did you even read what I wrote.

|I did - you obviously didn't bother reading what the OP wrote. Is there any need to take offence at nothing just because you have been corrected?

 

[Beefriendly]

There seems to be a general beekeeper repugnance at ever having any brood in a super. Not sure why this should be so.
My smaller colonies overwinter both ways either with the super on top or under the brood box. Individual colony circumstances dictate which way round it will be.

 

[benjamindonaldson]

|I did - you obviously didn't bother reading what the OP wrote. Is there any need to take offence at nothing just because you have been corrected?

I read what was written and provided a solution. I was not offended at you incorrecting me. Just pointing out you are rude and now seemingly quite arrogant.


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[Beefriendly]

I read what was written and provided a solution.

You did, but this time of year it is not a good solution. Perhaps early September it would be fine, as it would give the bees plenty of time to take all that honey out of the super and rearrange it in the brood box....but not now when temps are dropping.

 

[benjamindonaldson]

You did, but this time of year it is not a good solution. Perhaps early September it would be fine, as it would give the bees plenty of time to take all that honey out of the super and rearrange it in the brood box....but not now when temps are dropping.

I did switch my brood and super on my colonies early September so thats a fair point.


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[Poly Hive]

If I had the one colony I would now leave well alone.

If I had several I would do it and give them a few pints of syrup as a wee bribe.

Yes it's late but not that late. I would bet the farm that some people are busy stripping brood boxes of heather and feeding heavily.

PH

 

[fatshark]

I would bet the farm that some people are busy stripping brood boxes of heather and feeding heavily.

PH

And others are just starting to think about their 'late summer' Varroa treatment ...

 

[Jambo]

If I had the one colony I would now leave well alone.

Yup although as OP correctly says QX must come out (I know you know this better than me PH, but for the avoidance of doubt for a beginner)...

 

[Millet]

You could put the super beneath the brood box. Throughout the winter they will likely move up so will probably be predominantly in the brood box. Then in spring you could put the brood box back below the super and reintroduce the queen excluder.


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Jenky explained the correct method regarding the original post..and he is correct in what he said..i have had supers above in the past and i also have this year.. when the timing is right in spring all i do is make sure the Queen is in the bottom box then slap the Queen excluder on.. how simple can it be.. that nadir palava is not needed IMO.

 

[Erichalfbee]

For me the only time to put a shallow of stores under the brood box is if those stores are unripe/uncapped and the box goes under after harvest in August. That way the bees have time to move the stores to the brood box where they need them. A shallow on the bottom is fine if the bees are on brood and a half and that’s the way the colony is configured.
A brooded super is good for honey as long as there’s no brood in it when you extract it.