I just got finished inspecting my hives. I am using two ten frame hive bodies on each hive. Some still have a honey super as well.
Every hive had the bottom ten frame box full of pollen, brood, and very little, if any, honey. The top hive body was completely full of capped honey. These hives are very active, lots of bees, and still bringing in a lot of pollen. The hives with honey supers have the supers between 1/2 and 3/4 full of capped honey and the rest uncapped.
This is my first winter and I think the hives are ready but would like some input. If the bottom hive has pollen and brood with little to no honey and the top hive is solid honey is that sufficient for winter? Or should I feed them some sugar syrup? Temps are still in the 80's with lows in the 60's.
Also, should I leave the supers on for the winter or is the top hive body full of honey enough for them? I was going to take the capped honey from the three hives with supers and make one super with the uncapped and leave it on the hive with the least honey....
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I don't live in Virginia, but my guess is that that will do nicely. You can feed some syrup if you like. It might help get a few more young bees for winter.
Oh Yeah sounds like they are set up for winter pretty good
kirko
Should I leave the supers on for the winter?
I was thinking about taking the capped honey from the three hives with supers and make one super with the uncapped and leave it on the hive with the least honey.... or maybe leave it on the strongest hive and feed the others a little.
Leave the supers on and start feeding.. it's been a very dry year.
you can leave the supers on if you don't care the bees move up and lay brood in them. i'd pull the supers and freeze or extract them. the top hive body is plenty to overwinter, should be close to 80 lbs if completely full. i wouldn't worry about feeding syrup until late january, then feed 1:1 and add a pollen patty too for a booming hive by april.