Autumn flow or Winter prep? (Victoria)

[awootton]

I thought I should be getting the hives ready for winter and reducing down to double brood boxes.  But I notice that the moonahs, flowering gums and other eucalypts (?bloodwood or messmate?) are still flowering.  Should I be adding supers and hoping for an autumn flow or is it too late now?  My previous experience was in UK and I'm finding it a bit strange here.  Also a lot of the books and websites relate to Qld and NSW with different season timings.  I guess I can ask at the bee club, but hope someone local might jump in.... Cheers.

[Wombat2]

My old mentor says keep 2/3 of a super of honey on the hive - remove everything else - so if they fill the extra - take it off. Keep the empties in the middle. Also 5-7 days of wet weather can lead to over-crowding (3000 bees 'hatch' each week) so keep an eye open for the signs (lots of burr comb in the lid) add an empty super if necessary.

[awootton]

thanks for the reply Wombat2. Looks like no one else is going to pitch in, so I'll ask at the club. Anyway, I added a super of foundation just in case.

[prestonpaul]

thanks for the reply Wombat2. Looks like no one else is going to pitch in, so I'll ask at the club. Anyway, I added a super of foundation just in case.

Can't hurt, if they don't want the space they will ignore it. As long as you get it off before it gets too cold you will be fine.

[Wombat2]

You can leave the super on all winter and add a winter mat on the broad box. A winter mat being a piece of vinyl floor covering material the finishes on the second frame in on the sides and about the same distance at the ends - if using an excluder put on top of the excluder. This will keep the heat in the broad box but allow access to food stores above

[rawfind]

You can leave the super on all winter and add a winter mat on the broad box. A winter mat being a piece of vinyl floor covering material the finishes on the second frame in on the sides and about the same distance at the ends - if using an excluder put on top of the excluder. This will keep the heat in the broad box but allow access to food stores above

Just a thought you could probably use a few sheets of folded newspaper as a mat if you got desperate and had no vinyl floor covering.