catch 22

[snimmo243]

As mentioned on other threads, one of my new colonies has built up extremely well, to the point where a couple of weeks ago I came across 3 sealed Queen cells, I stopped feeding and put on a super to give them more room (bees on all 10 frames, 8 of various stages of brood). They didn't raise anymore Queen cells after this so I assume this was swarming behaviour and not supersedure. My problem now is that the stores that were in the brood box have now been moved into the super. I'm thinking I should start feeding for winter but this colony does not seem to have any intention of slowing down brood production leaving me with the quandry of:
1: take of the super, start winter feeding but possibly push them towards swarming behaviour again due to congestion
2: leave the super on for a while shortening the time I have to feed

any thoughts

Steven

[Mellifera Crofter]

If they're so healthy and the queen still laying, my feeling is to leave them on brood and a half for winter and leave the honey for the bees. Apart from heather honey, I feel it is too late to be harvesting honey now because there's not much time left for the bees to stock up their stores again.
Kitta

[Jon]

If they need the extra space you could put the super below the brood box and remove it in Springtime.
In spring, the queen will start laying in the top box where it is warmer.
If you leave a super on top it will have brood in it come spring time.

I think it is Adam who puts the supers below on some of his colonies.

[Adam]

Correct Jon,

Bees that keep a large brood-nest will need more stores for winter than frugal ones that reduce laying so I would expect that they will need a super full of stores as well as a full brood-box. It's Italians that tend to keep large broods over winter.
Read this bit which explains what I do and why:-

http://www.norfolkbee.co.uk/beekeepers-resource/winter-preparation