I'm happy again

[tom]

Hello

  I am back in the drivers seat once again no queen cells and new queen is laying and my queen in the third hive is laying in the middle and they all are storing plenty of pollen and nectar. They are filling the brood chamber up very well so they just might make it thru the winter after all and my first hive i counted about twenty bees coming with no pollen but they could barely make it to the hive so there is a good flow going on so now it has started to rain and thats a good sign i may need to put a super on if they keep up like this.


Tom

[Brian D. Bray]

Serendipity.  I would opt not to put any super on at this point in the season.  It is more important for the bees to utilize what's coming in for winter stores.  The idea of winterizing is to force the hive into a honey bound condition by backfilling the brood area with honey.

[tom]

Hello

  Mr. Bray should i reduce my big hive back to a single level so they would not spread honey all over the place and let them go ahead and let them winter in the bottom hive body. I am pleased with the third hive after so much trouble with them and now they are filling up the brood chamber very well and they have seven frames with solid capped brood and she is still laying real good. Why i ask about reducing the big hive is that they have some honey stored up there and if the othe hive do not have enough frames filled i was going to spread them honey out even amoung the smaller hive so they will have plenty of food if things do not work out.

Tom

[Brian D. Bray]

I never recommend reducing a hive below a double brood box in size.  I consider it a good management practice to prepare for the worst winter you can remember.  If proper mite control is practiced as the season winds down so that the mite count is low going into winter, and the stores consist of what would be considered a honey bound 2 box hive then I'd say you're prepared for winter.  I would try to achieve that condition with all my hives.

By spreading the stores around you might be dooming all your hives to starvation instead of insuring that at least some will winter over.