BEEfuddled BEEfore Winter!

Beekeeping - Basics
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Dear Beekers,

My hive consists of two brood boxes and a Flow hybrid super (please see photos) and the hive is doing very well and is very strong. The upper (middle) brood box is mostly capped honey (outer two frames on both sides) and nectar (inner frames) and FULL of busy bees. Unfortunately,
winter is about to set in here in northern, Virginia USA, and I don’t know what to do with my hybrid super.

What would you recommend I do at this time? We’ve had unseasonably warm weather (78F today), but this coming week the temps will be dropping in the 30’sF during the mornings and increase to the 50sF during the afternoon.

Sooo…should I:

1.  Do nothing.  Keep hive as is and try to insult through the winter?

2.  Totally remove the Flow hybrid super and then insulate the rest of the hive?

3.  Remove what honey I can in the Flow hybrid super and then return to the hive?

4.  Better ideas?

I feel that #1 is my best choice, but I’m afraid that my plastic Flow super frames will crack during the winter, but…if I choose #2, then I remove a lot of beautiful comb and honey that they could use during the winter.

Please let me know if you have any good ideas for my BEEfuddled Flow Hybrid hive

Thank you!

Best,

P.S. You’re also welcome to call me at: 703-455-2250

Cameron

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This has been often discussed, you might consider searching the forum for all the information that has been discussed on the topic.

I would recommend harvesting and removing your super. You can save your drawn frames for use next spring.

Removing the flow frames - not because the plastic will crack but because the bees will propolize the mechanism and the honey will crystallize both would require some effort to remedy.

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Thank you! I didn’t even think about the propolization impact, but you’re absolutely right! :honeybee:

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