Swarm returning

[snowzerdog]

I had my hive swarm 2 times ( my fault not keeping up).  Twice they returned I believe to rob some of what was left.  Well Last week I went out side to check on what might have been left when I saw bees buzzing around like crazy. As I watched it was a swarm coming from they way one of mine flew off to. They hung in a tree for two days and then moved into the hive.  I figured they must have been one of mine returning as there was no fighting at the entrance with what bees were left in the hive.  Wanted to let them set up housekeeping so I left them alone for a week.  Going to check them today if the sun comes out and warms up.  60 degrees and foggy right now.  Post later on how it went and whats going on.    

[snowzerdog]

Checked a couple of days ago and found a lot of brood, a queen and 1 1/4 supers of honey and pollen.  I have 2 deeps 1 shallow (1/4 drawn) and another deep. Cut out some excess comb and a queen cell with a dried up queen in it. Took one frame of honey and got a 1 pound peanut butter jar   full.  The frame was only half drawn.  I now plan on leaving 1 extra deep super so they hopefully have enough to get through winter.  Should be a stronger hive by mid September.  We been having some cool nights.  Afew down in the 30's so I have been reducing the entrance at night .  Hope it helps. Good luck to all this harvest, may they be heavy.  

[golfpsycho]

snowzerdog.  If the frame of honey was only half drawn, I'm assuming the honey wasn't capped?  Hope I'm not jumping to conclusions, but if it wasn't capped, it wasn't ripe.  Use it quickly or it will ferment on you.  Three deeps is alot of space for them to heat.  If the 3rd deep isn't full of honey, I'd pull it before they go to cluster.  In fact, if you don't have much of a fall flow, you might consider putting it over an inner cover and letting them haul the honey back down into the main 2 brood boxes.  Bees move up, so moving up into an empty super could lead to starvation, etc.  They won't break cluster to get to food when it's cold.

[Honey]

Thanks for the reply.  Yes the honey was capped.  I had to drain it into a cookie sheet first took quite awhile to drain.  I'll keep a eye on it to see if it does ferment.  I don't want to pull the third just yet as there is a lot of brood in the bottom two deeps.  I have a partly drawn comb super that I want to harvest between the bottom two and the top deep.  Then I'll switch them.  The fall run is going strong right now but the days have been in the low 60's and 70's.

[snowzerdog]

Thought I had logged in.

[golfpsycho]

Winter doesn't seem to be waiting here either.  95 a week ago, 62 and raining today.  Come on football season!!  I'm hopeing the moisture will kick start a flow of some kind.  It's been pretty hot and dry around these parts.  As long as the honey was capped, I don't think you have to worry too much about it fermenting.  I read your post as being partially drawn comb and figured it wasn't done.