Should i wind things back?

Flow Hive
1

Hi there

I am in Bathurst NSW and about 2 months ago i thought my hive looked healthy ( 80% full ) so i added my super on top. The bees have put a bit of propulis into the cracks in the super, but they havent really started filling out anything in the comb. Winter is coming here, should i take the top super off and make things a bit more cosier for them?

2

Hi there @l4love, with deference to members closer to your area with the best advice about seasonal & climate decisions, I’d say to consider taking off the super - some people who have either out it on too early or too late have seen the bees treat the Flow frames as too much space and gum them all up with propolis. Not a fun cleanup task for the beek, and they won’t work all glued together :grimacing:

1 Like
3

Is it possible you’re going to have a late nectar flow with any of the surrounding eucalypts flowering? If not, I’d probably take the frames off and store them for next spring.

If you’re not sure about flowering, an alternative is to do a brood inspection and look at how many drone cells. While they can be apparent all year round (in certain parts of the country) they reduce in number alot as you move into the cooler months and the when resources are scarce.

I’m not in your area but my advice would be to remove the Super.

4

If you are actually in town I would still take the super of for the winter, if out of town I would have already removed it. I know Bathurst pretty well as I used to put hives up your way when I was living in the Hawkesbury chasing the flow. I wouldn’t put the super back on till 2/3 weeks after the end of frosts so the colony can rebuild from the winter losses. Regards

5

pretty much agree with everything everyone else said- if you inspect the brood box and see some completely empty unused comb- and/or very little honey stores- you can probably take that super off now.

If however you find a box bursting at the seams with lots of capped honey, and lots of capped brood about to emerge- and all frames covered thickly with bees- then maybe you can leave it on and hope for a late flow.