Question on my pre winter plans?

[harvey]

In Michigan,  in my area the goldenrod is just about done.  The leaves are turning quickly now and my buckwheat is going to seed.  The bees are still working hard but are now bringing in less pollen.  I have supers still on three hives.  I plan on pulling them this sunday and installing entrance reducers.  I guess my question is if the honey is capped I will harvest it for me.  If the frames in the supers are not capped or not capped enough would it be best just to feed the honey back?  Open feeding by placing supers on side about a hundred feet from the hives?  I am hoping to keep the honey but as I have not nor do I intend to feed the hives I would not feel to bad about feeding them back there own honey.  So far so good.  Seven hives,  five from swarms aquired where there are no kept bees in miles!  These small bees have built up well and are now all in two full deeps.  I have not fed nor treated any of them and they were all put on foundationless frames.  For good or worse I am trying or at least my desire is to raise and keep survivors.  I want to see how long these hives can survive, how long the queens will remain until superceded and if they will maintain good production with little intervention.  I do plan on attempting to reduce swarming by checkerboarding but other than that if they do swarm the best I can do is hope to catch them and hive them.  I also found two more bee trees deep in the woods.  One is over 40 in the air!  Large maple tree.  the other is in a very large basswood tree that is almost four foot through.  I will place bait hives in these vacinities come spring.  I have also decided to build up enough boxes to go to say 15 hives come spring but I am going to try all medium boxes for weight and see about making narrower frames, 1 1/4 on center.  Not sure where I am going but so far I have really enjoyed the ride. 

[AllenF]

Sounds good.   Open feeding is fine.   Reduce entrances.  Keep the rain off your open boxes (little hint).  I think you are doing good with your plan.

[harvey]

Thanks Allen.