Spring rearrangement problem

[tjc1]

I overwintered my hive with a super of honey above a deep. This spring, I would like to get the super off (which will now have brood in it) and get a medium in its place that the bees can move up into. Any suggestions for how to go about this conveniently?  If I was sure the queen was in the deep, I could put on a queen excluder until the brood in the super hatched out - any thoughts, or a better idea?

[Vance G]

You could put the excluder on and four days later you will know if she is up or down.  If she is up, set the brood super and excluder  aside and put an empty medium if that is what you want on top and start gently shaking and brushing bees into the empty.  When you have cleared the bees out of your super,  remove the empty and put your excluder back on and wait for the brood to emerge.  That is the simplest way I know.  Good luck.

[buzzbee]

If the super is full of honey, the queen will most likely be in the bottom.Most use medium boxes as supers,so I'm not sure what you are going to accomplish trading one medium for another?

[tjc1]

Thanks, guys, for the helpful advice. I had left a honey super (the one slightly smaller in depth than a medium) on top, and want to return that to use just for honey harvesting, and move to using a deep and a medium for brood.The super was full of honey, but I'm guessing that by now it has been moved up into and has some brood.