Help with Extraction Needed, Pictured Included

[Utah]

This is my Bee Hive below. I just added the Bee Escape and I need to harvest the top super. However, I was told by local beekepers that our area's bees frequently do not cap the honey since our humidity is very low.

The top super is almost full. The bottom two boxes are very full of bees as well as the very top honey super. It seemed very crowded so I put the Bee Escape under the top super and added a new and empty super below it for the bees to escape to with extra space.



Can you tell me if this placement is OK to do? It is already done and I need to harvest the top super today or tomorrow.

How long can I take to spin or crush out the honey if is not capped?

What should I do when I close the hive up for Winter? Do I remove that third super and shrink them down to two boxes for Winter?

Thanks for any responses. Please be nice, this is my first hive.

[Michael Bush]

>Can you tell me if this placement is OK to do? It is already done and I need to harvest the top super today or tomorrow.

Since it's not capped, only a refractometer will tell you if the honey can be harvested without risk of it fermenting.

>How long can I take to spin or crush out the honey if is not capped?

How many wax moths do you have?  Some years I can take a couple of weeks.  The wax moths are thick this year.  I don't think it would be safe to wait that long this year.

>What should I do when I close the hive up for Winter? Do I remove that third super and shrink them down to two boxes for Winter?

I'd probably put the frames with the most honey in the bottom two boxes and pull the rest, but you can leave them three if you like.

>1st Brood Box - Full but I havnt seen this lower part for many weeks.

Probably because of the 90 pounds boxes full of honey above it?

http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslazy.htm#lighterboxes
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeseightframemedium.htm

[Brian D. Bray]

Michael Bush usually gives very complete answers and gets the last word.  there's little to add to his comments.