Marc Sevigny wrote:
>
> I opened my hives this week and noticed a couple of strange
> things.
>
> My strongest hive is working on filling the brood chambers (2)
> with honey, even though there is a completely empty honey
> super right above it....
 
> Should my tactic be to remove the excluder to get them to work the
> foundation in the empty super?
 
 
Yes, remove the excluder. What you observed, the honey in the brood box,
is a sign of swarming preparation. When you have a super filled with
honey you no longer need an excluder unless the flow is erratic. Long
dearths may cause the queen to move up into the honey. I think that what
led to the situation is putting the foundation over an excluder. I
prefer to place foundation right over the brood chamber without an
excluder during a good flow. Watch for signs of swarming, you may have
to take measures.