getting 2 weak hives ready for winter

[Finski]

I am sure the people in your area love what the bees do for there flowers and crops.
J

i have not noticed that. They do not understand at all what bees do. What they understand is that bees sting.

[BlueBee]

Finski, is your climate moderated by the effect of the gulf stream?  You are north of Moscow, but are you colder than Moscow?  I've read that our upper Midwest and the upper peninsula of Michigan in particular has the highest percent of Finnish immigration in the USA.  Apparently our upper peninsula has a climate much like Finland.  Cold and LOTS of snow!   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_American

[Finski]

.

It depends in what part Finlandwe look closely.

Last 20 years winters have been mild. Last winter was exception.

In South Finland usually snow cover is 30-40 cm.
On Western Coast snow cover is about 10 cm.

In some places it is usual that snowcover is one metre.

In my places Helsinki and summer cottage area -20C is a hard weather.
500 km to north it is mild weather.

The lenght of frost period is important to bees. If frost periods are short, bee cluster have opportunity to rearange its shape an they move to the food stores.

[L Daxon]

Needed cluster space for winter is dependant on number of bees remaining as winter sets in.  Removing honey supers and condensing frames/bees into as few boxes as needed for winter survival is desired in order to provide bees both 'enough space' but not so much there's a large area not covered by bees and thus making them heat/work more area.

This is right on. 

Some people successfully winter in one deep.  If I am using two or more boxes for wintering, I make sure by late fall all my brood frames are in the bottom box and I have good frames of stored honey and pollen directly above the brood nest.  The girls will eat their way up during the winter. Colonies have starved during the winter with plenty of food  in the bottom box but the cluster was in the top. 

Linda D