If it's not broken, should I fix it?

[TwoHoneys]

I started a split hive using a queen cell in July, and I'm thrilled with its progress.

Yesterday's inspection showed five full frames of brood and honey, and the bees are still drawing some comb on 2 or more additional frames.

Here's the rub: I'm transitioning from deep frames to medium frames, and this split hive is composed of a mix of deep and medium frames. When I made the split, I stacked two medium hive boxes to accommodate the mix of frames in hopes that they'd draw out some mediums with comb (and they have)...but this leaves the bees with a few empty frames and some empty space in the bottom of the hive.

I could reduce the empty space in the hive by transferring all the frames to a hive composed of two stacked nucs (a deep nuc with brood and honey on the bottom, and a medium nuc with newly drawn comb on the top).

Is this advised? I hesitate to move them only because they've worked so wonderfully in their current set up.

Liz

[Michael Bush]

If you want to consolidate space for winter, you could put mediums in a deep and fill the void below them with 2" thick styrofoam.

[AllenF]

That sounds like a good idea to me.  (and easy to do)

[TwoHoneys]

But it's not the space at the bottom of the hive that I'm most worried about...it's 3 or 4 empty medium frames in the bottom box. I've got a mix of deep and medium frames in a stack of 2 medium boxes and not all the medium frames are drawn out. I have empty space if I leave them in and empty space if I pull them out.

I wonder if I could cut pieces of Styrofoam and rubber band those pieces into the empty frames. Does anyone see any reason not to do that?

Liz

[BrentX]

No expert here, but in the same situation I noticed the undrawn frames were popular with the beetles.  I would pull the empty frames before settling in for the winter.  Until then feed in hopes of filling at least some of those frames

[AllenF]

With the beetles, just remember that they go into the winter cluster with the bees to stay warm.   That is were you find them in the coldest winter.