Good evening everyone.
Just started Beekeeping this year, and had a lovely honey harvest. around 70Kg of honey.
I did a early harvest and then one at the beginning of September, i had intended to do it sooner but had broken my hand and could not lift the supers.
After the harvest i refitted 3 supers to one hive for them to clean out and 1 back to the other hive,making sure they went back on the original hives they came off. With the intention of storing the supers away in the shed over winter once they had been cleaned up, with all the other spare hive parts.
I work nights so tend to do most of the husbandry early morning or early evening.
The large colony i have has nearly refilled all 3 supers, when i checked they have loads of stores in the double brood they are on too. The smaller colony is also on double brood boxes and they have stores in the brood and started on the super again.
Currently they are both configured with supers at the top and still have the Queen Excluders in place. when i did my check today i had intended to remove the QEs but was so surprised that they had refitted to such an extent i was not sure what to do.
Should i remove the QEs and see if they cap the supers then harvest it again?
Or just put all 3 on the bottom and let them go for it over the winter?
would the stores in the double brood be enough to see them through if i did a second harvest?
As i am new i welcome any and all help/feedback.
Just started Beekeeping this year, and had a lovely honey harvest. around 70Kg of honey.
I did a early harvest and then one at the beginning of September, i had intended to do it sooner but had broken my hand and could not lift the supers.
After the harvest i refitted 3 supers to one hive for them to clean out and 1 back to the other hive,making sure they went back on the original hives they came off. With the intention of storing the supers away in the shed over winter once they had been cleaned up, with all the other spare hive parts.
I work nights so tend to do most of the husbandry early morning or early evening.
The large colony i have has nearly refilled all 3 supers, when i checked they have loads of stores in the double brood they are on too. The smaller colony is also on double brood boxes and they have stores in the brood and started on the super again.
Currently they are both configured with supers at the top and still have the Queen Excluders in place. when i did my check today i had intended to remove the QEs but was so surprised that they had refitted to such an extent i was not sure what to do.
Should i remove the QEs and see if they cap the supers then harvest it again?
Or just put all 3 on the bottom and let them go for it over the winter?
would the stores in the double brood be enough to see them through if i did a second harvest?
As i am new i welcome any and all help/feedback.