Winter Preparations and unuseable frames question

alynewbee · Sep 5, 2011

Dear All,

My bees are still foraging very well and filling up a super but I want to make sure I leave them in the best possible conditions for the winter, so would very much appreciate some advice.

They are on 14 x 12 but they have very little in way of stores in the brood. There is a super on which is just over half full of capped honey.

I'd like to start my varroa treatment but am hearing quite a bit of conflicting advice. I'm thinking that my two main options are:

1) leave the super for the bees to use over winter and put it under the brood box. My concerns with that is that once I start the varroa treatment (I've bought Varroa-Gard) I will not be able to use that super for honey collection next season. Also, do I leave the super underneath all winter or hope that they move the honey up pronto and take it off? If I leave the super on, then I guess her maj may well start to lay in it as the weather warms up which (I think?) would also make some frames unuseable for honey gathering).

2) Take the super off and extract any capped frames and start to treat and feed straight away. Problem with this is that I would have to hire the exractor and for 5 or so frames it seems not to be worth it.

Hmmmm, I'm dithering and not really sure what to do for the best (and the weather is due a turn for the worse down here). I think I'm leaning towards option 1 but I'll bet my bottom dollar that there are options 3 to n which I've not even thought about!

Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Alyson

WormSlayer · Sep 5, 2011

I'm new to beekeeping myself but I was in basically the same situation as you.

Over the weekend, I took the honey off, started varroa treatment, and have given them a feeder full of syrup. Miserable weather today so glad I got it all done!

In other news, the honey they produced is fantastic

redpola · Sep 5, 2011

WormSlayer said:
In other news, the honey they produced is fantastic

Congratulations!

beesknee · Sep 5, 2011

varroa treatment

alynewbee said:
Dear All,

My bees are still foraging very well and filling up a super but I want to make sure I leave them in the best possible conditions for the winter, so would very much appreciate some advice.

They are on 14 x 12 but they have very little in way of stores in the brood. There is a super on which is just over half full of capped honey.

I'd like to start my varroa treatment but am hearing quite a bit of conflicting advice. I'm thinking that my two main options are:

1) leave the super for the bees to use over winter and put it under the brood box. My concerns with that is that once I start the varroa treatment (I've bought Varroa-Gard) I will not be able to use that super for honey collection next season. Also, do I leave the super underneath all winter or hope that they move the honey up pronto and take it off? If I leave the super on, then I guess her maj may well start to lay in it as the weather warms up which (I think?) would also make some frames unuseable for honey gathering).

2) Take the super off and extract any capped frames and start to treat and feed straight away. Problem with this is that I would have to hire the exractor and for 5 or so frames it seems not to be worth it.

Hmmmm, I'm dithering and not really sure what to do for the best (and the weather is due a turn for the worse down here). I think I'm leaning towards option 1 but I'll bet my bottom dollar that there are options 3 to n which I've not even thought about!

Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Alyson

Why not remove the super and treat for varroa, when treatment complete return super to hive?

Tom Bick · Sep 5, 2011

If it was me I would remove the super, start treatments and feed the bees then after treatments place the super under the BB in the hope the bees will move the stores up into the BB.

I say hope as I have never done this but understand it works, that is if the bees cooperate!!

Ps do you own the boat