Hello Anne

I overwinter our about 1500 hives with one LN box in Finland - climate
like Canada.

In spring I put first added box under the owervintered box. That box is
with new white frames from previous summer. During summer queen is kept
in these two boxes with excluder. Honey boxes 2- 4 come to the top.

3 weeks before final honey harvest I put queen to the lowest box and put
excluder on top of that.

During these 3 weeks all brood from second box emerges and we can
harvest the whole box. Mid August normally here. After this we start
immideately winter feeding.

If the colony is big not all bees fit in, but at this point old bees are
dying fast so in 2 weeks they fit in.


In 3 next weeks we feed about 10 kg of sugar ( dry weight)

No more, so that the queen has place to make more winter bees.

In mid september we feed as much as the bees will take, about 10 kg
again.

The winter here is October - March. Bees often without flight for 5
months.

One box is good for efficient varroa treatments with formic and thymol.
With this box rotation the bees winter always with new frames - helps
with brood diseases.

If you have no time to palce the queen unde excluder, fill down box with
brood frames, 2 pollen frames and rest empty when starting feeding.


Ari Seppälä
Finland

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