[allincuddy]

How do you think the best way to knock down a strong 3 deep hive (after honey supers are taken off) second week in August down to a 1 box super and prepare it for feeding in September for wintering.
Would you cram them into a single deep brood box and let them work the population down by themselves or is there a way to better manipulate them down to the single? I am going to winter some hive this year in single opposed to doubles and see how it works.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I am in the Canadian prairies.
Thanks much.

 

[JodieToadie]

Restrict the brood chamber to a single with a queen excluder either before or during honey flow. Then just remove honey supers. Assuming you are wintering indoors feed the single till it reaches 80lbs. There may be bees still bearding but they will die off or drift to weaker hives.

 

[Ian]

The purpose of managing singles is to maximize honey production, which means your going to need to push her down into the single on the onset of the flow. Trying to manage in three deep during the flow to push her down afterwards would require alot of work and would result in lost honey production.

 

[allincuddy]

Thanks Jodie & Ian.
I usually exclude over the second and winter with two deeps on the honey hives. Do you put them down to 1 box right after you take the honey off and hope they don't late summer swarm or leave 2 boxes and reduce them again in September?

 

[merince]

If you want to do it in the fall, if I remember correctly, CAPA http://capabees.org/2012/10/24/overwintering/ recommends that you break them into singles by pretty much splitting and providing a mated queen. Please note, that this is for indoor wintering.

I think it goes along the lines that each box should have at least 5.5 frames of stores, 2 pollen and 2 brood.

 

[JodieToadie]

Depending on how many hives you are running you could do it towards the end of the flow. A double brood chamber is not too much time if you are running less than 100 hives. As the honey flow ends just sort the boxes so she has about 4-5 frames of honey/pollen and all the immature eggs and larvae on the bottom. Put all the mature brood and the rest of the honey above the excluder and leave it till the brood hatches. Take the last super off when brood hatches/flow ends. Feed as necessary.