There is not a drop of honey in my Flow super. Plenty of activity below, and bees have sealed spaces with propolis and regularly crawl around up there. I removed the frames a few weeks ago and brushed them with sugar water to make them more appealing, but the bees have apparently completely rejected the plastic Flow super.
I need advice, as well as advice on overwintering in Cleveland, Ohio.
Hi Robert - nectar flow is long over in your parts. Propolis is what bees use to seal up drafts and places where pests come in, and isn’t really a good thing for your Flow frames but a sign that your bees are trying to deal with unwanted space. Michael is right, remove the box completely and set your sights on what can be done to help your colony survive the winter.
Please have a look at the search feature & you’ll find loads of info from numerous other posts about when is the right time to put supers of any kind on, how to encourage bees to fill the Flow frames, and of course your more immediate concern of overwintering.
Are you connected to any local beekeepers? Even if nobody near you is using a Flow system, they would have valuable local information about all the seasonal factors you’ll need to learn about & consider in order to keep your bees healthy. Good luck & let us know how you make out!
If the hive survives winter and comes through booming, place the Flow super on top of the two brood boxes in late March and look to harvest in late June/early July. Rinse and repeat.