# In need of help



## Clairesmom (Jun 6, 2012)

How many brood boxes are you using, and are they deeps, mediums, or?

I'd say you need to get out there and open up the hive to verify what is going on, and if you actually have a queen. Chances are that you do, but you can't count on the pollen to be sure- you need to look. You need to check for mites. See how much brood, if any, there is, and what they have stored for winter feed.

You have a little time left to get them built up for winter, but you need to find out what you actually have going on in there.


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

First let me welcome you to Beesource! 
Now lets start with terminology so we can better understand your situation. A super is an addition to the normal hive configuration. It is short for superstructure. 
A hive body be they deeps, medium or shallow are the foundation of the hive what the bees use to live in, store supplies, and raise brood. They are for the most part permanent structures that remain the hive year round. 

For the purpose of this discussion I am going to assume when you say top super you are referring to the upper hive body. Are you using a 3 medium configuration or double deeps? What breed of bees do you have . Carnies are more winter conservative than Italians As such the former may be able to overwinter on a single deep or two mediums. If Italians you need to poor the syrup to them all they will take daily to create a need for storage space and hope they can get some frames drawn. You probably should have been feeding since the beginning of July when blooms reduced significantly. 
Bees do not draw comb until they have a need for it. so they rarely draw comb during a dearth. 
Nor having space for ample stores can make overwintering imposable for the bees on their own. but there are measures you can take to assist them. 
Do that thorough inspection Looking for signs of a queen IE: eggs young larva, or her majesty in person.. Look to see the amount of stores and configuration then let us know. someone can them make a better recommendations on what to do.


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## sunshinetribe (Sep 7, 2016)

Thank you for your help. I am referring to my ten frame deep super or superstructure and I have two ten frame deep brood boxes or hive bodies.


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

Bees perform differently in different times of the year. In this time of the year, they are condensing down and backfilling, meaning they are slowing brood rearing and moving honey stores up with brood down. It takes a good strong flow to get them to expand upwards into another box and draw comb this time of year, and that usually does not happen this time of year in the north. If they think the two bottom boxes are all they can use efficiently at this time, then that is all they will use, and will leave that top super box empty.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

I blame it on the slow queen, other environmental factors or they are queen less now.
Going through the bee cycle for a year now they should be full of bees at this time.
Do you see the queen laying, are there any young larvae/eggs? Definitely do a hive
check to see if you can locate the old queen. If she's not laying then get a new laying
queen. The hive should be prepping for the winter at this point. Replace the old queen if she's
not up to par in performance. Your hive cannot go through the long winter months if she's a weak
queen. Over here I overwinter with a strong newly mated after the solstice queen on every hive. The
one not performing will be replaced or combine.


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## Clairesmom (Jun 6, 2012)

Did you feed them after putting them out back in the Spring?


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