Wintering a hive

[SmokeyBee]

Hi all, first year beekeeper here With another question. I'm looking ahead to the end of the season.

I've been told by told by a couple of local guys that a deep and medium are more than enough to over winter a hive here in South Carolina. I have a hive started from a package back in March that is now a deep and three mediums.

At what point do I remove the additional boxes (I.e. overnight lows below a certain temp, etc.)? I know that the drawn out frames can be stored in a freezer, but what are the other options? I don't have that much freezer space...

Can someone walk me through the general procedure for putting the bees to bed for the winter?

Thanks-
Smokey

[Sour Kraut]

Here in western IL, a deep + medium would be the BARE MINIMUM to get a colony thru the winter.

In your location, it may be the 'norm'

BUT.............once you are thru the winter, give it a second deep...........a single is NOT enough for a productive queen.

As far as removing the 'extras', do it BEFORE the flow stops for good, on a warm day when they are flying well; that gets the 'field bees', which tend to be old, grumpy, and VERY aggressive, out of the hive.

If it were me, I'd leave one FULL medium plus whatever is in an unfilled 'partial' for over-wintering; take only one full medium off (unless you have a late flow that fills more, of course).

Just my $ 0.02.......

[SmokeyBee]

How are you storing your frames?

[Mikey N.C.]

Smokey,
What are the bees doing in 3rd box.

[riverbee]

smokey,
it is my understanding that beeks in southern climates are good to go with a deep and a medium, some leave more mediums.  listen to your 'local guy's' or anyone else on this forum in your climate as to how they overwinter. i am in a northern climate and overwinter in two deeps. i add a shim on with feed on in late fall for extra insurance.  i can't give you what you need to know about wintering, just how i do it and does not apply to you.

with package bees you want to be sure they build up into the hive configuration you need to overwinter; if it's a deep and a medium, all the frames ought to be drawn with enough honey stores packed away for them to overwinter in.

like mikey asked, i would want to know what the bees are doing in your third medium?

extra drawn frames can be stored without being in the freezer, if done properly. i do it every year. mine are stored in an outbuilding. (cool and dark). i stack the boxes with drawn frames on pallets.  i cut 'covers' and stack my boxes with these covers to fit and cover the boxes (top and bottom).  it works for me. others have stored frames in large plastic containers with tight fitting lids.  hope this helps.

[SmokeyBee]

Hi all, been busy with work lately and haven't checked here in a minute.

Thanks for the replies...the third medium (which I put second from the top on the advice of a local guy) is about 40% drawn on 7 frames. We were in what I THINK was a good flow when I put it on. We are now in what I THINK is a dearth (in my beginner opinion).

The bees have been just sitting on the front porch bearding all day for a couple of weeks until last week. My guess is that something started blooming in one of the farms around me because they started bringing in pollen like mad last week.

Anyway, that's where I am now.  I'll take a peek on Saturday to see what if anything they've done to the new box lately.