Mats Andersson wrote:
> Bill, i am in the process of converting my beekeeping from a totally
> different (one of the five standards in Sweden...) format to mediums. I was
> curious to hear what time of the year and how you switch the boxes. The
> climate here in Stockholm, Sweden is probably similar to that in Maine.

I will spend this fall/winter building the boxes and making up the
frames. I will not shift until next spring. My intention is to pull the
bottom deep, which should be empty or nearly so in the early spring
(first relatively warm day in early April. The ice does not leave our
creek until then. Our "creek" is about 300 feet across and solid with
foot or more thick ice even up to the end of March.). It may require
moving frames between the two deeps to empty one deep. I will put a
medium with foundation over the deep which has the bees. When it gets
drawn and things are happening in it I will add another medium with
foundation for them to draw. When it gets drawn and I have a honey
barrier at the top of the upper medium (to keep the queen down so she
does not continue moving up) then the supers go on for honey.

I will leave the hive as is to overwinter with two mediums on top and
deep on the bottom. And then the next year in the spring, pull the lower
empty deep and add a medium with foundation on top. I will then
overwinter with three mediums.

I welcome comments from those who have done this before. This is just my
plan and not etched in stone.

You are right about the climate here being similar to yours in
Stockholm, Sweden. I was surprised when I was in a discussion with a
beekeeper from your area to learn that we might be even a bit colder
than your winters. All that nice Gulf Stream current that bypasses us
and warms you up.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, ME