October 1 is the day that the beekeeping year begins for me. For many years I have gone it into the bee yards to weigh my hives. I don't trust my "hefting" of hives to determine how much they weigh going into winter. With my scale, I have a reference to determine if help is needed and enough time before serious winter to make necessary adjustments.. Years ago I established minimum weight that insured that a hive would survive the winter without starving and if a hive exceeds my minimum , I can be pretty well assured it will be alive , strong and healthy in the spring. I have found that if a hive consisting of two deep boxes weight 100 pounds or a hive consisting of one deep box with a medium food chamber weighs 95 pounds the survival rate is near 100% I never leave extra supers on a hive. To me that is a waste and complicates manipulations in the spring. I do believe that a beekeeper should set aside one super of honey for every three hives he has.. To methis is good spring insurance. If feed is needed in the spring, I favor adding frames of honey near the cluster rather than using feeders. If you have never considered weighting your hive to make your winter preparations. you might consider it [log in to unmask] (Andy Anderson0