To be honest, it’s all assumption from what we’ve seen, heard and experienced and the bees, sometimes, they have different ideas… (Curiously enough, just like all keepers of bees.)
I reckon, this time, next year, you’re going to be doing the same and sharing your knowledge.
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Do we? Hey, we are just strangers on internet! 
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ah. now it makes sense.
Are there any good tips on how to spot eggs? I find that through the veil it is difficult to see minute detail like tiny eggs. Sometimes I take a photo and wonder how I managed to miss so much during the inspection.
Close up photos are a good way, as you say. The other thing that really helps is to stand with your back to the sun and let the sunlight shine directly into the cells. That makes the little glisten of a tiny white blob easier to see in the bottom of the cells. 
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Thank you Dawn. I will definitely do that.
I also tested my eyesight again and a new pair of glasses are on the way. They should also help.
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Absolutely. I don’t have a prayer of seeing eggs without my closeup glasses. 
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I also use a magnifying glass and with the sun shining on the frame if there are eggs on it they are so easy to see. Without it I am often left in doubt and waste time trying to convince myself about what I’m seeing.
Cheers
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Well.
We went ready to swap frames today. Found a nice one with brood and eggs (we saw eggs, thanks @Dawn_SD for your tip) from the donor hive.
Then, we opened my hive and had another look. Guess what we found on the first frame we took out. The queen. We also found more very tiny larvae, maybe 4 day old. The number of bees seems to be ok. Dad also found a small queen cup on the top of a frame, empty.
I think this is my inexperience and not shaking bees off properly to check frames. The lack of honey made them light and made me worry. They have plenty of honey in the super though, and no brood up there so QX is working.
We (dad) decided to not swap the frames and let them be.
I’m still learning.
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That is a great outcome. It only gets easier from here - trust me. I admire your attitude to bee keeping, you’ll go far.
I wouldn’t worry about the queen cup if it’s not charged. They make them for fun.
Don’t worry about the lack of honey in the brood. The bees will bring it down from the super as required. Come Spring, they’ll have plenty to share with you.
Thanks for the update.
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Agreed, good result. Now leave them alone.
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That’s going to be the hardest bit Skeggley but I promise I’ll do my best.
I see that @fffffred did his last inspection before winter should I do the same?
Hey, thanks again strangers. We really appreciate your help.
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Inspections need to be done with purpose.
My plan is to start removing the supers before the weather gets too cold.
Before I can do this I need to make sure there is enough stores in the brood box for winter and the colony is healthy. If all’s good, great, off with the super and no more inspections, if not I’ll need to feed and do another inspection in at least 3 weeks.
I still inspect during winter but non intrusively.
When I inspect I’m trying to take action ahead of the bees, it’s not about what I see now it’s about what I want to see in the future.
For me the most important time for inspections and manipulation is spring when 3 weeks is a long time.
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Thanks Skeggley. I thought that would be the case.
For some reason the honey in my hive is all in the super while there is none (literally zero) in the brood box. (my dad’s hive’s got plenty of honey, two full frames, in the brood box).
I don’t know what to do about that.
How do you check they have enough stores during winter without opening the hive before it is too late?
You know how light a frame is with no honey, the box is the same, it should be heavy, when you lift a hive you’ll know. (Just lifting the back end, hefting)
Generally we get enough forage wintertime for hand to mouth, but it’s when it’s cold and wet for a week or so the stores go. This is one of the reasons why I don’t like feeding, I don’t want the bees thinking there’s plenty around and producing too many mouths to feed.
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Hi skeggley, you are in demand for your valuable advice
This is my third winter and never removed the super. I see it as extra insulation and peace of mind stores. I’m seriously considering taking your advice and remove my super this year - is a single 8-frame brood box with two honey frames a good starting point to overwinter?
I think @BooBees needs to leave his super there with no honey in the brood box, in that case should the queen excluder be removed? I always left it there when I kept the super on.
Ha, happy to help, remember I’m still learning too mate, I’m just using you as guinea pigs.
I did leave super on last year also and left the qxs on too. They were all hybrids with full honey frames.
Remember I have 2 boxes beneath the super also and being such a productive year I’m fairly confident there is enough in the lower boxes for winter and will know for sure after inspecting.
I wouldn’t remove the qx with a Flow super on, the bees will move up and the queen will lay.
I checked some frames I drained last month and although rebuilt are totally empty.
I think give the bees more time, we’re still having warm days I think they’ll start relocating honey soon with the cooler nights.
Boo, maybe drain another frame and see what they do with the honey they clean up, you can always feed it back.
We had more members from the area but they’ve gone for one reason or another unfortunately.
@Wandjina, what do you think?
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Nah mate, we’ve been beekeeping for 30 years and just testing your knowledge.
Reluctant to take more honey from the weak hive. We have enough for ourselves anyway. And maybe we’ll leave the other one too then. I find it nerve wrecking taking away the super for winter, but thought it would be a good time to give them a thorough clean.
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I’m entering my first winter with supers on - hopefully the frames don’t get candied shut.Then again, I have yet to see my honey candy. It doesn’t last long enough!
I’ll report how it goes. Watch this space…
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Thanks fred. Please let us know how it goes.
Are all your flow frames full of honey?