I´m getting confused again! If ,for example,you use Langstroth or Dadant
hives you have brood chamber(s) and supers, between brood chamber(s) and
super(s) is a queen excluder i.e. no brood in super combs.Super combs are
generally of 1/2 frame depth and not interchangeable with brood combs. If
you feed bees sugar for winter it goes into the brood chamber, there are no
supers on the hive.When the flow comes you put supers on above a queen
excluder.Why would the bees put significant quantities of sugar-based honey
up into the supers? If they are short of laying room it´s your fault, excess
honey should be removed from the brood chamber and replaced with
foundation.If you have to feed bees sugar in the main season the supers
should be removed first.So how can sugar-honey get into the crop?
I think it comes about by using identical frames in brood chambers and
supers and swapping them around e.g hanging excess brood in a super to give
laying room below or taking full super frames down into the brood
chamber.This results in "honey" being extracted from brood comb ( which may
well be contaminated with Coumaphos etc.).This sort of thing happens in
Germany with Zander and DN hives of one frame size.That´s one reason why I
use Dadant hives, shallow supers and queen excluders.This is all old hat but
it still seems to be an issue. Some people give Dadant hives a full super of
honey for winter which generally results in brood in super comb later, not a
good idea. If super comb and brood comb are rigorously separated I don´t see
how sugar honey can get into the crop ( at least not accidentally ) and the
chances of miticide contamination of honey are reduced.
Derek Steed

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