Wintering

[belinda]

Hi
This is my first year of keeping bees. Do I winter my bees with just the brood box or with the brood box and super?

[AdamD]

Hi Belinda,
I am afraid that you are going to get one of those "depends" answers.
Firstly I assume that you have treated for varroa and any supers with honey you want are off the hive?
If the colony is relatively small - i.e. a late season colony that's not much bigger than a large nuc, ( how many frames of brood do you have?) it may well be OK in a single box. However I prefer to have more food than that by having a super of food under the brood box.

See this:- http://www.norfolkbee.co.uk/beekeepers- ... reparation

[belinda]

Hi

We got a nuc in late May but they do appear to be thriving. There is lots of honey in the brood box and probably at this stage now about 4 frames of brood but we had masses more brood in the summer.

Thanks

Belinda

[Patrick]

Hi Belinda

Based on it being your only colony and your first year, uncertainties over things like hefting, none of us knowing what the Autumn winter and spring might bring, etc I might be tempted to err on the safe side and give them more rather than less and then you have the experience of what was used to reference to next year and adapt accordingly.

Hopefully the nuc was supplied with a young queen so she should be raring to go.

[belinda]

Thanks

[DianeBees]

The important thing is no queen excluder!

[Cable_Fairy]

Following on in this tread. I live high up in the Pennines at 800 feet in a semi rural location and this is my first year. I was given a 6 frame poly nuc at the beginning of September, and by the beginning of October the 6 frames were full to overflowing with stores and bees; who were rather tetchy to say the least. I moved them into a WBC with extra foundation to give them a little more room ( one either end and two more making 1.2.1.2.1.2.1). I fed them with a sugar solution 0.6Ltr / 2 kg which by the look of it this morning they have consumed about half. At the moment they are bringing in piles of bright yellow pollen. I do have some Fondabee and Candy Pollen Gold, should I start feeding them this, or something else. If I use the feed do I put a super in above or below the brood box.

[Chrisbarlow]

I suppose my first comment is how much stores do they have on them now? if you heft are they really heavy?

I take it from your comment that every other frame is foundastion. If this is the case, carry on feeding till they stop taking it.

As for the candy pollen gold. I would feed that at the same time, I am a big fan of suplimentary pollen feeding in Autumn as I believe it makes for stronger and healthier over wintering colonies.

As for the super above or below. I would suggest above however the bees dont really care as long as it is rammed full of stores. If it is empty, I wouldnt bother putting on at all.

[AdamD]

I would advise not to split the brood. However moving bees from a 6 frame poly to a WBC will give them extra space - but for the bees to draw all 4 (or 5) frames and fill and cap it is a fairly tall order in October - it's very late in the season. If the syrup is not processed properly (if there is too much for them to deal with) it can ferment which is not at all desirable. See how they go over the next few days. I think I would use a dummy pressed to each side of the brood box - to give thicker and better insulated walls and insulate above the crown board. You can insulate above/around the feeder whilst it is on too (old blanket/bubble-wrap or whatever you have). With a WBC you can also put insulating material between the brood box and lift. Bees will use less of their stores if they have a well-insulated home. A colony that was in a 6 frame nuc until recently won't be able to fill a super - unless you have one with stores already from elsewhere in which case I would put it under the brood box. http://www.norfolkbee.co.uk/beekeepers- ... reparation

[Jim Norfolk]

I have overwintered small colonies in WBCs. The hives are very easy to insulate. At this time of year I would forget feeding syrup and just put a large slab of fondant over the feed hole and arrange insulation over the top of it. I would use an eke to provide space and put 2 inch aluminium backed foam over it. Bees don't eat through it unlike polystyrene insulation. If you make a skirt for the foam sheet from radiator foil as in my photo it makes an effective insulator/reflector for the sides also. Use foil tape to hold the radiator foil onto the foam sheet.