A year ago, to reduce back strain, I switched to three Illinois
size from two regular brood boxes. I take supers off the end of June and
whatever bees make from then on is theirs to keep. Heavy mite infestation
in August is then treated with Apistan. [Also in March-April each spring -
which seems to work well]. T-mites are dealt with via sugar-grease patties
for eight months and menthol in August. Healthwise, it seems to work. We
have had three successive warm winters. The Carniolans start brood in
January, three weeks earlier than Italians I have had, and they eat half of
the stores compared to the Italians.
        This spring the top brood boxes of each hive are full of capped
honey; which was never touched fall or winter. While it makes supering easy
without using a queen excluder, what should I do with this honey after July
1? The honey/wax has been exposed to Apistan at least twice. I have
neighbors with five and seven hives within a half mile or so who keep
Italians and they super for fall also. The Italians from at least one
neighbor are constantly trying to rob my carniolan hives. [They are down
wind from the prevailing NW  winds.] The questions for me are: what to do
about the existing honey and should I go to two Illinois brood boxes for
the future.
        If the honey as well as the wax is suspect, I would not want to put
the boxes out to be robbed after I take off my supers because of the
neighbors' bees who will be making honey in supers. So any advice will be
appreciated.
        In this area it is not uncommon for people to brood their Italians
in one deep and one Illinois. With Carniolans, what are the probablities of
success using only two Illinois  for brood through the winter.[It should
make comb honey even easier to make given the way they explode brood
production in the spring. However, they probably will want to swarm weeks
before the honey flow.]


John F. Mesinger
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