Leaving honey super on over winter.

[EOHenry]

I bought a hive and all the beekeeping equipment from a friend that wanted out of the hobby this past Spring.  He did not extract any honey from hive last year.  I went out to hive this past June 1 and did a split of the 2 deeps he left on hive.  It was full of bees and honey.  I was surprised they had not swarmed already.  I went back to the 2 hive in July and added a medium super to each hive. My question is; What will happen to honey in supers if I do not drive over an hour each way to get them and leave them on over winter.  Can I extract next Spring or early summer.  Will honey be crystalized?  Other than the loss of honey for this year crop, what is the down side to leaving the honey on hives?  My schedule is just not working to drive there and them extract immedeatly upon return.

Thanx!
EOHenry

[Brian D. Bray]

Capped honey remaining in the hive will usually not crystalize or ferment.  But I know of several exceptions.  You should be able to leave the honey on the hive without any problems as long as the hive is not too large for the bees to maintain temperature.  That's usually the equivalent of 2 deeps.  A sallow or medium above that might be okay.  Just remember that the more space inside the hive the more energy the bees need to expend to heat it. The more energy used means they will go through stores faster.  Leaving too much space/honey on a hive can be as deadly as not leaving enough--it's a judgement call.