Lloyd writes:
> Some 'old timers' used to winter in three deeps, not because of added food, but to provide added room for brood and thus delay swarming. 

Another bonus is that if the spring is nasty and you can't get to the yards (bad roads, whatever) the supers are already there. You just have to move the empties to the top, and presto. 

By the way, I recently read the statement in an old article on varroa that the mites prefer to occupy the combs at the bottom of the hive. 

So, I thought, what if you put a two or three inch rim under the brood nest, and let the bees build comb down from the bottom bars. Then you could tip the hive back and cut these comb extensions out periodically, instead of raising drones in a special frame. 

Any thoughts on that?

PLB

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