# How much do the bees need to over winter.



## MDS (Jan 9, 2011)

Someone from your area or Georgia should answer that for ya. In my part of Missouri we use two brood boxes, leaving the top box full with 10 frames of honey for winter.

What we all have in common, however, is the bees ability to move or not move to honey stores. Atlanta would have more winter days 50 and above than here in Kansas City, so they should be able to move to stores a little easier. On warmer days in the winter, I open the hive quickly and move stores to the side and above the bees which seems to help.

Early spring is a good time to loose a hive from no stores or access to them. Some say that is when most starve due to brood production and need for feed. So, if I had extra frames of honey from another hive it's not as big a deal because I can move them around. 

Having extra frames of honey is nice also to feed packages and nucs so I'd error on the side of having too much left over honey then not. Of course, pay attention to wax moth issues. Can put frames in freezer to kill most everything.

If you are producing winters stores by using sugar water then you should not extract it for human consumption because it's not real honey. If you find yourself in spring with all capped stores and no empty drawn comb for brood areas you can extract and feed back to bees or lean the frame up against a tree away from the hives and they will, over time, clean them out. 

I personaly just keep the capped frames and feed inside the hives with them. Amazing how much quicker they build up in the spring with the extra capped comb available. I think having drawn comb with feed in it is just about the most valuable item in the inventory.


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## Mosherd1 (Apr 17, 2011)

I know absolutely nothing about beekeeping in Georgia, but you could probably extract and then feed the bees back sugar syrup in the fall if you are concerned about overwintering. If you have an organization near you that you are a part of I would contact them for a more localized answer.


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## Sarahatl (May 12, 2011)

Thank you to both of you. Maybe someone from GA will chime in!


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

Here in Oklahoma I like to over winter with 90 to 100 pounds per hive.


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## Zane (Mar 28, 2008)

too much is better than not enough!!!!! try to leave them plenty like nasal and see how much they use. Weigh the hives through out the winter to make sure you still have feed into the spring!


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## davel (Jan 29, 2011)

I live about 45 minutes from you. 
I have asked around and the consensus seems to be one deep and a medium super will be sufficient to get them through the winter.
That is what I am going to do as this will be my first winter also.
Good luck!


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## Sarahatl (May 12, 2011)

Thanks. That is what I thought too Dave. If they have frames of honey they do not use over the winter can you use those for a new hive (nuc) the following year?


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## MDS (Jan 9, 2011)

Sarahatl said:


> Thanks. That is what I thought too Dave. If they have frames of honey they do not use over the winter can you use those for a new hive (nuc) the following year?



Yes, and better for bees than sugar water.


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## RickR (Mar 19, 2010)

I'm in North Alabama, so our winter weather is similar. I was advised that bees in our area can get by on a single deep, but a single deep and a medium is safer. I had a single deep and a medium on three hives this winter and all three came through fine with a few frames of honey left over in each hive.


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