Northern California Harvesting

Located in Northern California, this is my first hive and getting mixed advice from local beekeepers. I have a Flow Hybrid with packed brood box and lots of honey stores but only 3 partially capped flow frames up above. Should I drain the flow frames now and then pack the bees down into the brood box for winter? Or leave the flow frames in place and remove the queen excluder so they can use what they stored up there too?
Would love quick advice so I can make my move during the last of warm days. Thanks!

Hello and welcome to the Flow forum! :blush:

Remove the Flow super. I take mine off in August (I am in SoCal). Most California beekeepers use double brood boxes for beekeeping. You should do that even with a Flow hive. Do not leave the Flow super on over winter - the bees will put propolis all over it, potentially jamming the mechanism for your next harvest.

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Thank you for your feedback, I will remove it today!

Hi - love to hear how this went last year. I am in the midst of debating to take off the super or not. @Dawn_SD on the propolis build up is it something similar to the attached photos and does that include that darker stuff. I am in NorCal near SF Bay, temp wont go below 45 for next three months generally. Interested in why the double brood box too

Hey :wave: I just posted this about removing the super -

Your temps might not get so cold but if there isn’t a strong reliable nectar flow for a period of time the bees will reduce their population, leaving all that extra space in the flow super unusable and unguarded. So they will be likely to propolize it against drafts and pests, not good for Flow frames :pleading_face:

Thanks @Eva. Yes the critters have found the hive just recently! See picture.

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Look at that! Going for the side window :face_with_peeking_eye:

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