I live in Sweden and here we can easily get minus 20 degrees C in winter, so I remove my Flow Super and store it indoors during winter. Some of us here remove the frames and keep the box and fill it with isolation material to help the bees keep the cold out.
My question now is.
Should I leave the super frames open after the last harvest and leave it one for a week or so to get the bees to clean it up and collect the droops of honey (for their own use) that did not flow out from the frames during harvest. Or should I close the cubes and let the bees clean it like that or …
What is your recommendation??
Note
During winter storage I do store them in the close position.
It shouldn’t really matter all that much. However, I think closing the frames is slightly better, because the spacing is a bit easier for the bees to get into the cells to clean them up. Also the bigger gaps of the open cells may tempt them to lay down propolis, which is not fun for you!
Hi Dawn
Sorry for my late reply to your speedy answer.
I do agree with your thoughts on this and have act accordingly
many thanks
A small question only
How long do your this they need to clean the super?
Thanks and have a nice day
Like anything in beekeeping, it depends… Having said that, generally 2-3 days enough if the weather is warm and they have plenty of space in the boxes below the queen excluder.