Hi everyone. This is my first fall with my bees and I am uncertain as to how I should proceed. I have a hive with a little bit of honey (1/2 frame) at each end of my deep brood box, a frame of pollen, and lot's of brood in there as well. On top of that I have a shallow super that was full of capped honey and now has two frames with brood in the middle of the capped honey. I switched my boxes around about a week ago and my queen is now in the deep brood box again, so I moved the deep brood box back to the bottom with the shallow honey super on top of it. My question is this: I have a third shallow super, separated by a queen excluder from the shallow super that I have left for the bees. This third shallow super is full of almost full, uncapped frames of honey. I have hive beetles in the hive and am concerned about leaving this third super on the top over winter when the bees will not be able to manage all that surface area. Should I take the full frames of honey from the shallow super just above my brood box and replace it with the almost full capped frames from the third super, or should I take off the uncapped frames and just freeze them and then store them for the winter?
Any advice would be most appreciated! I live in Atlanta, Georgia and the winters tend to be fairly mild here.
I'd just leave them on the hive. But you can freeze them if you have enough room int he freezer.
The hive beetles are slowing way down now that the nights are cool here in Atlanta. I think for my hives, the hive beetle peek was about three - four weeks ago.
I'm thinking if it's a strong hive, you'll be fine leaving the uncapped super on the hive.
If you're worried, you might put a hive beetle trap in the hive - Here is a comparison of the ones I have used.
(http://www.ehow.com/how_5400820_fight-small-hive-beetle.html)
Linda T
I would go ahead and freeze them. You can always place them back in if their food stores get low. You could also use them next spring for swarms and splits.