Unused winter stores

[John B]

I winter my bees in three deep boxes and I am
generous with winter stores. As a result, the
bees do not use all of this honey. Some of the honey may be a few years old. Should old
honey be moved to a box above the inner
cover to allow it to be "robbed" out and
re-manufactured into fresh honey? I'm worried
that granulation and fermentation may occur.

Thank you
John Bachman
Wausau, WI

[Dee A. Lusby]

Hi,

You wrote:
I winter my bees in three deep boxes and I am
generous with winter stores. As a result, the
bees do not use all of this honey. Some of the honey may be a few years old. Should old
honey be moved to a box above the inner
cover to allow it to be "robbed" out and
re-manufactured into fresh honey? I'm worried
that granulation and fermentation may occur.

Reply:
If the honey is a few years old it is certainly granulated, but not fermentated. If you want to get rid of it what you have mentioned to do is fine, or you can merely put the honey in the bottom super starting with the outside frames for all honey frames and then pollen honey frames to the center.

From here the bees will move it around also to where they want it.

Regards,

Dee A. Lusby