I live in Sonoma and have a a flow hive for about 5 years. Have only successfully over-wintered once with it. Never freezes but lows are 35 at worst and highs daily 50 at worst in winter. What is the best way to overwinter? Do I remove the flow super and just keep the 10 frame brood box with a lid on it? ( I could add sugar water if needed )? I overwintered last year with the flow frame being told by the flow hive folks that i did’nt need to remove it, but I am worried the bees then go up into the flow super and leave the queen and she dies and maybe that is why it didn’t survive winter last time… Since there is only one 10 frame brood box, my options are limited, but I am aware that if I take the flow super off, I will need to place it in the freezer to avoid moth and mold damage when it isn’t kept in the hive. Any help would be really appreciated! Thank you
I prefer not to overwinter with the Flow super on, but have done so in the past. My winters are about as mild as yours, so here’s what works for me.
Early in the season, add an ideal above the excluder for the bees.
When that’s full add the Flow super.
When you extract the last honey of the season, place the inner cover with hole open above the ideal, then an empty deep, then the sticky Flow super on top.
The bees will then “rob out” the Flow super, leaving it clean and dry.
Some people leave the super in the open to be robbed, but that could lead to your hive being robbed and could spread disease.
Remove the empty deep, close the hole and leave the Flow super above the closed inner cover.
This stores the super without having to prepare it and taking up space. As long as your woodware is straight and square, there’s no gaps for pests to get to the super. The closed inner cover keeps the heat in the brood plus ideal.
This late in your season, I would put on the ideal, empty deep and inner cover as described above, to encourage the bees to transfer honey from the Flow to the ideal. With luck they’ll draw out the ideal frames and fill them for the winter. Feed with syrup if the ideal is light. If you can source drawn comb from another beekeeper, it would save the bees a lot of work.
I’ve found that an ideal of stores, plus the outside frames in the brood, more than enough for my winters. I only use single brood, so have no experience with doubles.
Mike
Wow Mike, thank you so much for your thoughtful response! I really didn’t know if this forum would work…
I feel like I have a very workable approach now. I am so appreciative of your time!
David from Sonoma
Happy to help, David.
This forum has some very knowledgeable, experienced beekeepers from all over the world happy to assist. Of course, with beekeeping there are differences of opinions on some things. Take everything on board, try what seems right. If it doesn’t work for you, experiment with other suggestions. There are so many variables that there is rarely one idea that works 100% everywhere, every time. To me, that’s part of the fun.
Mike