if you don't want to use them for brood any more, make sure the queen is not on them and place them above the excluder directly over the brood nest. when everything hatches out they will fill with honey.

 

I agree

 

I had a hive come through winter with a medium of capped syrup on top (they never left the deep in winter). So to get rid of the honey dome I moved the medium to the bottom and added another deep on top. The queen was maintaining about 8-9 frames with brood in the middle deep, 4-5 half frames of brood in the bottom medium, and 4-5 frames in the top deep before I finally split them. I really don't care what order the boxes are in. Michael Palmer runs two deeps and a medium, or at least does in part. I kind of want to see what my queens are made of so I may go with three deeps on some of them. The bottom medium is becoming increasingly full of pollen. They have consumed/moved some of the syrup, but there's still quite a bit of that too. I may end up scratching the cappings and putting it back at some point to spur them to move it up and off of the bottom board, but we'll see. It's not really hurting anything.

 

Not a bad idea to place the medium above a queen excluder. I don't want them placing honey in the medium this time of year (assuming the honey made this time of year will be used to over-winter so I want it in the deep boxes) but it would give me quick, easy access to remove the frames as they hatch out then remove the medium once empty. Not sure what I will do with any honey stored in these medium frames, suggestions?

I assume the ideal over-wintering configuration for two deeps is to have the bottom deep for brood/pollen and all the upper deep be half full of brood on the bottom half and the upper half full of honey? Is 1/2 deep of honey enough for over-wintering? I'm also considering converting to 8 frame deeps (10 frame deeps currently).

 

Is this medium evil or something? You seem hellbent on taking it away from them? If you're looking at storing honey for winter (already?), why would it being stored in a medium be an issue. You mean you want them to draw another deep this year yet?

 

let em put honey in it, if they pack the brood box anyways and they have enough, take it and enjoy, if not scratch the frames and set it over an inner cover, they will rob it all out and pack it around the brood. Also, if you are wanting them to draw another deep, having comb over an excluder with foundation in between will get their butts in gear drawing comb. It should be warm enough this time of yr to split the brood nest like that, just watch they don't pull queen cells, if they do knock them down.