A couple of years ago I decided that in order to save lifting heavy boxes, I would convert from 
deep brood boxes (Modified British National) to shallow ones. I have got the bees to move the 
brood up to the new shallow boxes with some difficulty in what has been a generally difficult 
beekeeping season in Scotland. I now need to get the stores (pollen & honey) up from the old deep 
brood boxes to the new brood as soon as possible and before the end of the season.

HI,

I read somewhere that if one wanted stores moved up from below to a brood chamber above a 
quick way was to move the entrance up between the new brood above and the stores below whilst 
giving access to both sets of boxes from the new entrance between them. I have tried this for over 
a week without much success.

It could be that putting a queen excluder below the new entrance but above the stores has put 
them off taking up the stores (I don't want the queen going down below again this late in the 
year)! I have given them another try with the stores below (queen excluder still in place) and if that 
doesn't work I am looking for advice on the best way to get the bees to move those stores up to 
the new brood nest where the queen is laying well.

Does anyone have any ideas this late in the season? In a couple of weeks I shall have to treat for 
varroa before going away for a few weeks (not unfortunately to Apimondia in Australia). When I 
return the season in northern Europe will be over and it will probably be too late. If I put the old 
stores above this winter without a queen excluder the queen and bees will probably move up into 
the old brood boxes (which I don't want), if I leave a metal queen excluder in place, it will be cold 
and the bees may move up leaving the queen to starve below.

Any useful tips would be much appreciated, John

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