In my case, we do not normally use queen excluders, therefore they run as a
single big brood chamber with as many units as the bees demand (1+2
sometimes 1+3 or 4). What it is usual is that on each flow the queen will
lay upto the second, and sometimes to the third body (counting one the
brood chamber). Then the honey will push the bees down again, so we will
harvest all the frames that do not have brood in it.

The last flow, Ulmo, usually occurs with mild to cold weather, therefore
there is no point on stocking more than one super. Bees will not move up
pass that first super, cold night will keep them taking care of the brood
on first chamber. It is difficult that Ulmo will give more than one super,
and if you do not feed protein (patty) at the end of previous flow (Tiaca)
all the Ulmo honey will end up in the brood chamber and the queen with
nowhere to lay.

So for autumn, after the Ulmo harvest the colony will be left on just one
body. Not many colonies need the first super to fit the bees. Before taking
the hives down the mountain and after the Ulmo flow, there is another flow
that I haven't identified yet (probably some type of mistletoe) that block
the brood chamber and is enough honey for the colonies to have a good
winter, no needing feeding till the queen is in full lay mode next spring.

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