Respond to: [log in to unmask] >Chris Conroy asks about putting empty supers back on bees for overwintering The operative principle is that you do not want bees to have to heat empty space during cold weather, therefore we do not want any empty space above the bees. You might want to put the super back on briefly, while it is still warm enough for them to finish up the unripe honey, probably they will carry it down. But be sure to take it off before real cold sets in. A super full of honey would be no problem, as bees will cluster on it and the honey helps hold the heat. Be sure to remove the excluder, if you do this, because the queen needs to move up with the cluster to keep from freezing. If you have only one brood box, or if the bees are mostly in the upper of two brood boxes, you should start feeding right away. Heft the back of the hive to check weight. Bees will need 50 or 60 pounds of honey or syrup to get through the worst of the winter. The best hives may need still more in the spring when they rev up their brood rearing.