How many frames?

[drmanhadan]

I was just wondering how many frames I can take from supers come spring/summer without making them starve or swarm. How many can I take without feeding, and how many can I take if I am supplying a sugar substitute (which I'd rather not do)?.

[BeeGhost]

I your running double deeps and the upper deep is packed with honey, you shouldnt have to feed over winter, that should be 90 pounds of honey plus what ever they pack into the bottom deep going into winter. Anything above the upper deep is yours! In our area here in CA they say 60 pounds of honey is enough to get them through until spring when they can pack in the goods again!

Texas may be different as you guys generally get a jump start on spring! Maybe someone from your neck of the woods will chime in.

[mgolden]

Think I haver taken some 30 frames from a strong second year hive and they haven't skipped a beat. Am limited in height to 5 deeps and periodically removed frames so they had open cells for brood and nectar storage, so they wouldn't swarm. I remove any 80% capped honey frames and move frames to weaker hives and stat NUCs, just to keep ahead so as to provide open cells. Harvest the honey and reinstall wet frames.

Removing brood and providing open cells and frames to draw helps to curb the swarming impulse.

They still have 5 deep supers pretty well packed with nectar. Queen is starting to ramp down. Air humidity is high and bees are having troubles bringing the water content of the honey down.

5 for a NUC in May
5 for a second NUC in July
20 frames of nectar and honey

The key is to do it periodically and small numbers of frames each time, and they don't skip a beat.

And I don't want to talk about my second hive that came through winter stronger than the one above, but I've had never ending queen problems.