Guilfordbeekeepers.org

I was wondering if anyone here does a fall reversal?
In other words, if your bees are mainly in the top supers going into fall/winter, do you put them down at the bottom and the empties at the top?
I figure that it is better to have the bees down low going into the winter.

What does everyone think?

JC

I don't try and move the bees, but I remove any empty boxes and put them in storage. I don't leave empties on during the winter. The bees don't need to have to heat a lot of unused space.

So if the bees have moved into the top super just go ahead and remove the bottom one?
What if there is still honey and pollen in the bottom? Arent they going to need it?
What about leaving the brood chamber on the top if I do reverse? Will this cause a problem?

JC

When I said empty, I meant without honey, pollen, or brood. If we were up north, it would be a problem. This far south the bees can reposition anytime it gets into the forties. That should be sufficient here for them to find it whether it is in the top or bottom. If there were ten totally empty frames, I would consolidate them in one box and remove it. Otherwise. I just leave them as is. Hopefully, the goldenrod will fill the top box and the brood nest will be moved down before winter gets here.

Wally:

Thanks for the info.
I thought that the bees clustered aroud 50 degrees.
How can they reposition at 40?

JC

The normally accepted temp. for flying is 43, but it may vary a few degrees with different bees and different conditions.

Clustering at 50 only means they begin to gather together for heat and reduce or stop brood rearing. The cluster will expand and contract acording to the temp, all winter.