2 brood chamber to 1 Brood Chamber

[mathew]

I have just completed my honey harvest and preparing my hives for winter. I wintered my hives last year with a one brood chamber since I started them as nucs in July. This year, during the summer I ran 2 brood chambers. Now I want to reduce to a one brood chamber but I don't want to waste the brood and stores. Does anyone have any strategies?

[kathyp]

if your 2nd deep has brood and stores, leave it on.  you don't need to reduce space to less that what the bees are filling.  i don't know where you are, but you probably still have two good brood cycles to go through before the weather/daylight really shuts down the queen.  more if you are in a warmer climate.

put your location in your profile and it will help in answering your questions.

[hardwood]

Why reduce?

Scott

[beee farmer]

Having to option on wherther to go with one deep or two according to some depends on your location and latitude with the more southern areas more forgiving towards one deep than the northern ones.  Now dont all jump on me, I am sure there are several people in the north that use all mediums or any combination of deeps and meds. I am just expressing what I have read in the be journals ect.. I am in the south and run 2 deeps mostly because I seem to observe better brood patterns, its easier to pull frames to make nucs and swap brood and raise queens.

[kathyp]

i think it depends more on the condition of the hive, than on the weather.  i have several 2 deeps that are jammed with bees and honey.  they will overwinter in the two deeps.  i have a couple of late swarms that i'm not sure about yet.  i'll make the call next month.  it's not written in stone.  it's a judgment call you have to make.

[mathew]

if your 2nd deep has brood and stores, leave it on.  you don't need to reduce space to less that what the bees are filling.  i don't know where you are, but you probably still have two good brood cycles to go through before the weather/daylight really shuts down the queen.  more if you are in a warmer climate.

put your location in your profile and it will help in answering your questions.

Thanks. I have placed my location in my profile. You are not very far away from me. About 4 degrees south from me. I run deep hive boxes. Last year, I had great success in a one brood chamber. But they were nucleus colonies started in July moved to a deep box, their population grew large enough in 9 frames plus a frame feeder in the hive for the entire winter. I've been told before that single brood or 2 brood chamber did not make a difference. But i wanted to check with others who have had experience in both methods.

Could you explain what you mean by having 2 good brood cycles?