Quote Originally Posted by The Drone Ranger View Post
Your right there Gavin I don't much care for brood and a half overwintering because once they get up into the super they stay there and even that small gap between the brood frames and the super frames can become a real barrier
In the SBA mag Ian Craig advised two brood boxes with only 8 frames in each plus a wide insulating spacer either side, rearranged so all the food was above the bees in September when any top up feeding was done.
Wish I was as organised as he is
The bees I've worked with don't seem stupid. During mild weeks in winter, they range to the far edges of the hive to break out some stores. When it's cold and they can't move far from the cluster, they nibble nearby stores. They do all get a whole super full of cuddly dry blankets above them for insulation. (And I watch to see what they're dropping on their varroa boards with helpless fascination, all winter long! - that's how I know which stores they're working on. Health warning, Beth: beekeeping can seriously take over your life.)
Wish I was as organised as Ian Craig, too. Then I wouldn't have spent so much of this week making up brood frames