Hurm - Reality Vs. Books - Getting Ready For Winter

[Dundrave]

Ok folks- I have read just about every beekeeping book I can get my hands on, but reality is catching up to me rapidly :)

I started off with 3 hives, one being really strong, took 40-50 pounds of honey from it, split and made a highly sucessful nuc out of it, in late July. The other 2 hives are growing more predictably. Has swarmed to my knowlege 4x, caught 3 lost 1.


Here is how I stand thinking about winter -

I have 2 - 8 frame nucs (look good for over-wintering)

I have 2 double deep hives, that are a tad bit light in the deeps but have 3/4 of a medium super capped on both.

I have 3 swarms I caught a couple of weeks ago that are building wax like gang-busters, 2 of which are very big. 2 of which are in a double nuc box, and the 3rd and weakest is on 5 frames in a single nuc.

Ok -
Question 1 - How do I feed those 3/4 capped medium supers back to the hives, (get them to move the honey up) and not have the queen laying in them.... My thought... put them on the bottom of the hive with a queen excluder between them and the deeps.

Question 2 - Do I need to replace the queens in the 2 swarms I caught, as they are likely to have poor mating conditions, and can it wait until Spring? I am going to re-combine my weak swarm with one of the big nucs.

Question 3 - Should I have mouse guards on?

Question 4 - What am I not thinking of?

Thanks a TON
Dundrave

[Michael Bush]

>Question 1 - How do I feed those 3/4 capped medium supers back to the hives, (get them to move the honey up) and not have the queen laying in them.... My thought... put them on the bottom of the hive with a queen excluder between them and the deeps.

You can try putting them above an inner cover. Sometimes that works. Putting them out in the open always works, but sometimes sets off robbing.

>Question 2 - Do I need to replace the queens in the 2 swarms I caught, as they are likely to have poor mating conditions, and can it wait until Spring? I am going to re-combine my weak swarm with one of the big nucs.

Poor mating is an assumption. Is there any evidence to support that assumption?

>Question 3 - Should I have mouse guards on?

Soon. Before you start getting frosty nights.

>Question 4 - What am I not thinking of

Pull the excluders. Feed if they are light. Have a top entrance of some kind (notched inner cover etc.).

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#winter