# When is it Too late to remove your honey supers



## T0ADMAN (Aug 5, 2011)

I'm a total newbee, but if you truly don't care if you get honey, I don't think there is any harm in leaving the super. Your bees will certainly enjoy the insurance of having additional honey overhead, right?

You may find that the bees have moved up into the super over winter and you now have brood in your super. So, if you don't want that, you may need to do something. I think the important question is whether your bees truly have enough stores in the bottom deeps as they were probably planning to have the super for themselves at this late date.

My bees are in a Medium-Deep-Medium configuration, and the bottom medium is almost entirely empty on all 3 hives. So, you may want to verify that there are actually stores in both deeps before pulling the super. 

Again, I don't see any harm in leaving it, but someone with more experience can certainly correct me if I'm wrong.


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## Andrew Dewey (Aug 23, 2005)

Here where I am at in Maine it would be too late to take the super off now. I aim to have my fall feeding done by this weekend and the hives wrapped before deer season. I hope you get a response from someone who lives near you and can speak to local conditions. If you don't get such a response, seek out an experienced local beekeeper or club from which you can get advice. Here I would leave the super on as winter-time insurance.


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## redwar (May 20, 2011)

Toadman, thanks for the reply, I was in the bottom box a month ago and it was full of honey but not much pollen, the upper box seemed to have more pollen and brood. I have a queen excluder between the super and the brood boxes-so I doubt they would move up there without the queen-I had thought of removing it(the excluder)but was not sure so I did not-I guess that is another part of the question, if I leave the super on should I remove the excluder? 
thanks again


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## T0ADMAN (Aug 5, 2011)

Absolutely! 
If you leave the super on and the bees do decide to move up into it, you want the queen to be able to go with them.


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

i would ask some your experienced locals what the typical wintering configuration is for your area.

if you have a method for weighing your hive that could help you decide.

i usually have part of my honey that is not completely capped, so i "dry" all of the frames with a floor fan as described in another thread, (i don't have a lot of posts so i think it you find it easily if you search my screen name if you're interested).


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## ldaxon (Apr 14, 2010)

On my last inspection of the fall, I always pack all the brood into the bottom box with a frame of pollen and honey on both the sides of the brood nest, then put the rest of the stores over the brood nest in the second box. The cluster usually moves up over the winter so you want them to be able to move up onto the stores. Absolutely do not leave the queen excluder on. The cluster will not move up without the queen. I've heard a number of stories of hives that didn't make it through the winter because the excluder was left on.


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## Mike Gillmore (Feb 25, 2006)

Redwar,

I think either way you go it will be fine. It's your call. If you decide you would like to take some honey just make sure there are 12 or so frames of capped honey in the bottom 2 deeps for winter. If you're going to pull the super then you should probably do it soon and let the bees finish packing the remaining available fall pollen and nectar in the deeps. 

If you decide to leave the super on then remove the queen excluder as soon as possible and give her free access to all the boxes. If you really don't need or want the honey immediately then I would choose to leave it on. If they don't consume it you can still use it next year for splits or extracting.


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## zippelk (Sep 1, 2010)

ldaxon said:


> On my last inspection of the fall, I always pack all the brood into the bottom box with a frame of pollen and honey on both the sides of the brood nest, then put the rest of the stores over the brood nest in the second box.


I have a '101' type question, but your comment inspired it, so I will ask it here. how often do you find that you have to do this sort of intensive rearrangement, vs. the girls doing it right themselves? I would have guessed that instincts lead them to having brood on the bottom and stores above this time of year, and only exceptionally would you find something different. maybe you didn't intend it, but your comment makes it sound like it is more common that they need rearranging. just curious, because I really don't know, and I had assumed/hoped that mostly they can take care of business themselves in that regard. thanks


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

If the bees are torpid and they are in the supers, it's too late. Otherwise, I like to pull them after it's cold as the bees are "hunkered" down in the brood nest area, and the supers are empty of bees.


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## Dragonfly130 (Dec 12, 2008)

> When is it Too late to remove your honey supers


When the winter cluster has moved up into your super.
After the lower temperature thresholds have been reached for mite treatments and or feeding if needed.

It doesn't sound like you need to feed so that's not an issue for you.
If you need to treat for mites it's getting late and we are down to the wire. 

I wouldn't sweat it too much and if you need to pull it the end of the month look for a day with warmer temps. I don't like to disturb the bee's below temp's mid 60's but if the bee's are clear of the super and you don't take long you should be ok. I use a blower so it has to be warm enough for the blown bee's to get back to the hive. An escape board put on a day or so b4 you want to pull the super should work extremely well this time of year. Great way to clear your super on one hive. If it's a colder day there may not even be any bee's in there as they tend to start clustering towards the bottom of the hive. The cold might leave your super clear of bee's in the early morning even without an escape board. May not also as you've said you have some brood directly below in second deep.

Don't feel bad as I've got a yard of ten hives still needing honey pulled. Was gonna do it today but now other things have come up and I may not make it. I want to get apiguard in there also, 2 gallons fumagillin syrup so I'am pushing my luck.

You should be ok pulling end of the month. Like other's have said if you decide to leave it for winter pull the xcluder. You'll be ok with the exculder for a while yet though.


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## honeyshack (Jan 6, 2008)

If the top box has uncapped honey, you will find them moving it down into the brood nest, if not already then soon. Remove the excluder and re arrange the frames like Mike Gillmore suggested. Get the bees and brood into the bottom box and then honey and pollen into the top box. Bees tend to go up rather than down in the winter. You might find a mouse or two taking up residence in the bottom box before the bees do. Make sure the frames you leave are capped to prevent death by moisture. Then enjoy some honey for your self. Beekeeping is hard work, honey is a reward for all the labour.

Two deeps should be plenty where you are...it is for us where we are.


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