Anyone ever do this?

[wharfrat]

My bees never were able to fill up their top super this year, so I wanted to consolidate the 3 half frames of honey in the top super into the lower supers...

Turns out, I have no empty frames in any of the lower supers to accommodate the switch.

Currently, I have removed all of the unfilled frames(with foundation) from the top super, because it seems that they were being used by beetles...

So, now in my top super, I have 3 frames with some honey and a bunch of empty space.

My current plan is to check back every few weeks to see if they move the honey themselves into lower storage. When it starts to get really cold, I will likely remove them so that I can have a tight hive for the winter. I could always check back on warmer winter days and feed the honey back to them if they need it....maybe I could just leave them above the inner cover of the hive??(the partial super and 3 frames)

Just a consolidation question...I am sure others have run into this issue in the past.

Thanks!

[Kathyp]

they won't move it if it's capped.  they won't move it above the inner cover.  they will rob it out if you move it away from the hives, but so will everything else  :-)

i'd take those 3 frames and freeze them.  you can feed them back later when they need it.

the empty space will end up being burr comb.  they may not want to draw frames at this time of the year, but they sure seem able to fill spaces with junk.

[iddee]

Next to Raid, empty space is the worst thing you can have in a hive. As Kathy said, freeze them.

[Grandpa Jim]

Many times I have seen the advice given to freeze the frames of honey and feed later as needed.  Correct me if I am wrong....  the reason to freeze the frame is to kill the wax moth eggs.   So after a few days in the freezer the frames can be removed, covered and stored in a cool dry place.  They do not have to stay in the freezer until used.  I am afraid many of us would lose our happy homes if we filled up the home freezer with frames of honey until late winter.
When I have comb honey, I will place the whole super in my freezer for a few days.  Than the super is bagged and stored until I cut and box it.
 

[Kathyp]

buy a chest freezer and dedicate it to the honey  :-D

i guess you could take them out.  i don't.  that honey will attract ants, mice, etc.  if you could find a way to critter proof the frames, it might be ok.

[bee-nuts]

Personally I would just let them rob it out.  I have not problem with it.  They will clean it out in a day, tow max.

[iddee]

Grandpa, taking them out is fine if you seal them in plastic bags, taped tightly. The moths and other pests will get back into them if not sealed.

[Grandpa Jim]

I have done this for years without a problem, but I guess part of that is because we have winter here.  Ants and moths are not a problem once weather gets cold.   I operate a food service business so mice in my storage areas cannot be tollerated and they are not a problem either.  Just thought people should know why they are doing something.
Jim 

[D Coates]

I'll be pulling off all of supers this weekend.  I've given them the chance to respectively rob them out (above an inner cover).  If they haven't robbed them out, so be it but I will leave them on a trailer to be robbed out before I put some BT on them and store them for the winter.

[alfred]

I guess that I am confused, maybe, It wouldn't be the first time so...

If you have supers on and the top one is not full, why would you be trying to get them to move the honey down into the lower supers? Aren't you going to pull it all off soon at harvest anyway?

If you are trying to get them to move it from the supers into the deeps or the brood area and the brood area is already full, why not just pull it and call it good since the deeps are already full.

If you are using all mediums and what you are talking about is your top or third brood box, and is only partially full, then you need to put the empty frames back in and feed until they fill them.

[wharfrat]

Hi Alfred,

You have it about right. I use all mediums and the top one did not get filled. What is in there is likely sugar water that I fed heavily during our drought in early September. I don't expect the bees to finish filling with our limited fall nectar flows.

The extra unfilled frames seem to be a haven for small hive beetles, so I wanted to remove them. I don't want to harvest the capped honey(sugar) that is there, so I have removed the unfilled frames and just have 3 capped frames sitting in the top super.

Eventually I will remove this super to have a normal configuration for the hive. I hope that they will maybe move or eat the honey from the 3 frames before I have to do anything...but looks like I will end up freezing it....or just place them in the yard to force them to rob it back and find space for it in the remaining supers...

Thanks for all of the help everyone, but anyone else feel free to chime in.