Bees moved up, should i leave or take action?

[BeekeeperBill]

I'll try to be brief. I had 3 supers on this hive. The top is mostly honey, the middle is brood/honey, the bottom looks to be mostly pollen with some honey. I had hoped a month ago they finish off the top which i could take then feed. However, they didn't. Now I'm not sure how best to handle this for the winter. Should I leave it as is and just wrap it and rotate the brood chamber in the spring? Or should I try adn rotate now? I'm thinking just leave them. Oh, I'm where it's cold, maine. :scratch:

thanks,
bill

[blaine]

The bees know what they are doing. It's built in. If they have enough stores, leave them alone. If they are a bit light, feed 2:1 sugar / water till they are up to weight and start backfilling the brood nest. Make sure they have decent ventilation and see them next late winter / early spring.

Good luck

Blaine

[Ian]

Why not push them down to the second and take the third as part of your harvest? Feed them up, and winter them. Should work.
But as you say, the third isnt cured, NOthing wrong with leaving the thrid. Be sure to feed them if they are light.

[RayMarler]

I'd say leave them as they are. Sounds like good pollen, nectar, and honey stores. Brood is centered in the stores. That's how they like it and they know best. Winter is coming fast, they are moving stores where they want it. If you harvest and feed sugar water, you'll mess them up, as they won't have time to cure the nectar enough for winter. Harvest season is past where your at, let the bees organize how they like it, they know better than we do. You'll get a hive make it thru winter and you'll have good harvest next year.:)

[Ian]

>>If you harvest and feed sugar water, you'll mess them up, as they won't have time to cure the nectar enough for winter


Tell me the difference between uncured nectar and uncured surip,
It doesnt take much to cure surip,

[Tom G. Laury]

For best results next year, don't take or rearrange any stores. If bees are not really clustering in the bottom box, peel it off the bottom and set the other 2 on floorboard. Upper ventilation and entrance of some kind prob important where you are.