Hello, 1st year Beek here.
I am from Victoria Australia, we are about to go into spring.
So when my broodbox is fully drawn out I’m would expect to put the flow super on. Go through spring and summer as usual (maybe get some honey but it is the first year).
As it gets cooler, what should I do with the super?
Should I leave it on for winter?
Should I take it off and leave the full broodbox?
Should I replace it with another broodbox?
I’m just trying to figure it out way in advance. Since say, if my bees fill up the broodbox and the super, and take the super off for winter, wouldn’t there be much room for all the bees in just the broodbox?
Hi Tom,
It depends on where you are in Vic. I’m half an hour west of Geelong and went with a brood box and an ideal for winter. It was recommended by a local, experienced beekeeper and is what he practices. When the brood box is full, add the ideal with a QX, when it’s full or thereabouts, put the flow super on under the ideal and above the QX (this order isn’t essential but can encourage the bees to fill the flow frames). Approaching winter, remove the super, put the ideal above the brood box and take out the QX.
If you live somewhere cold like Ballarat, Macedon or anywhere it snows, I’d probably go with two brood boxes. The best thing would be to see what the locals do in your area. Here, it’s a little colder than Melbourne and the bees appear to be coming into spring without issue. In Melb, you might get away with just a brood box, but others can lob in their 2 cents worth.
Thank you for your reply.
If it makes it easier, I live North-East in the Wangaratta area. We don’t get snow, not super cold. Rarely we go negative degrees overnight.
Sorry since I am new, what is a ‘QX’ and an ‘ideal’?
My girls seem to be going great through winter with heaps of activity today as it was warm and sunny. Just wondering like I said if there will be room for all of them with thier 2nd winter after removing the super.
No problem! I would say a single brood box in that area, but you could add an ideal as insurance if you’re worried. Don’t forget your colony will shrink considerably for winter next year.
An ideal is like a half-sized brood box. In Aust, we have deep, WSP’s and ideal sized boxes (you won’t find many WSP’s around). They are roughly equivalent to the yank version of deep, medium and shallow. Look up any online store and you’ll see them. A QX is a queen excluder.