Have a question? I have a 9 inch super that is about 1/2 full with capped honey, the rest is clean foundation without any drawn comb. Below is one full box of honey. Below that I don't know some honey and some winter brood I expect. My question arises in the bee ability to warm the hive during winter. Should I remove the super which would make less open space in the hive, or should I leave the extra honey in case winter supply gets low. I believe there will be enough honey for the winter in the lower full box. It wieghs nearly 100 lbs alone. So what are your thoughts.
Super is very vain, especially it is half empty. Vain space where heat escapes.
Wintering room should be as big as bees occupye in early autumn.
If food will come shot after cleansing flight, you can give super's food to bees.
Finsky's right, remove the super, freeze the frames, and feed them back to the bees later after they are thawed out.
Too much space for the bees to keep warm makes them worker harder to generate heat (via movement) and that depletes stores more quickly,