Be carefull, the bees might not be solely in the top two hive bodies.  Your
best bet is to briefly and carefully examine them when you get a day when
the bees are flying.  What you are trying to do is determine where the brood
is.  It is likely to be in two bodies, but the two bodies might be either
the top two or the bottom two.
Take the top off the hive and see where the bees are clustered.  Take a
frame out and see if there is brood.  If there is not, examine another
frame.  If you don't see brood in the top body, after examining at least two
frames with a good number bees on them, take the top body off.  Set it aside
as close as possible to the remaining two bodies so that the bees (or most
of them) will go into the remaining two bodies.  After a week examine the
hive you took off, if there are eggs or very young larve, you took the
queen!  Hopefully, that won't be the case.  If you do see eggs and young
larve put at least one of the remaining bodies on top.
If there is brood in the top hive, next check the bottom hive.  If there is
no brood, take that and, again, set it as close as possible to the remaining
two.
You might find there is brood in all three bodies.  That is not unusual.  If
that is the case, wait for a day that is 60 degrees and move all the brood
into two bodies.  Be certain you find the queen and she is in one of the two
bodies.  Then again take the remaining body and set it as close as possible
to the two bodies you want to keep.
If you leave any brood or eggs in the body you set aside, the bees will not
leave and will raise a new queen, which will not be of very good quality.
Finally, whatever body you set aside will get attacked by wax moths and the
comb ruined.  To prevent this either store with a moth repellent or, when
you are certain that the queen is not in that body, take the top off.  Rain
won't hurt the comb, and the wax moths will not lay eggs if the comb is
exposed to sunlight.
Good luck!
 
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-----Original Message-----
From: Walt Barricklow <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Monday, December 22, 1997 6:10 AM
Subject: splitting a three level hive
 
 
>I need some help on this one.  Last fall I put on an additional deep hive
>body, to reduce the chance of
>swarming. It is my understanding that through the winter, bees will move up
>in the hive. So far winter
>here is low 40s to 50s in the south.  I want to take out one of the deep
>supers, and thought that the best
>one would be the bottom, as the bees will mostly bee in the top two deep
>supers by late January. I do
>not want to split the hive or requeen, just get the bees ready for spring
>in two deep  supers. I thought
>early in the morning when temps are lower might work.  Ive never tried this
>before, so any help will be
>greatly appreciated.  tnx walt
>