Opinion: Removing bottom box for winter?

[2Sox]

I only work with mediums and have 5 stacked up right now on two of my six hives.  I was thinking of just removing the bottom boxes (and putting them into the freezer for moth prevention).  I want to make it more efficient for heat retention when I wrap the colonies with Bee Cozy's for the winter.

OR I could just leave the boxes, which would then be exposed more to the cold,with the Cozy's just covering the top 3.

Your opinions?

[iddee]

Check when temps are in the 50's and remove all beeless boxes.

[Ben Framed]

Check when temps are in the 50's and remove all beeless boxes.

Good advise.

[BAHBEEs]

In New York, I would run with 3 Mediums.  I run 2 deeps, but as southerly as I am I could probably just fine with one.

[Oldbeavo]

Put a hive mat between 4 and 5, leave an inch open at one end and leave for a couple of nights, bees will move down for the warm.
Repeat between 3 and 4 and see if 4 clears, if so remove. Check the progress early in the morning before bees go wandering.
Repeat between 2 and 3 and see what happens. If they don't clear then you know the limit.
Bees will pack down a lot more than what we can imagine, so may only wrap 2 boxes.

[Acebird]

I only work with mediums and have 5 stacked up right now on two of my six hives.  I was thinking of just removing the bottom boxes (and putting them into the freezer for moth prevention).  I want to make it more efficient for heat retention when I wrap the colonies with Bee Cozy's for the winter.

OR I could just leave the boxes, which would then be exposed more to the cold,with the Cozy's just covering the top 3.

Your opinions?

I have done it many times.  You must get the mouse guard on before a mouse gets in the bottom box.  It makes freezing unnecessary because you will get freezing temps anyway.
The real question is what is your plan for spring?  A good option is to split the hive in half.
The typical winter prep is totally unnecessary in Queens.

[2Sox]

Apologies for the delayed reply and thank you for your suggestions.

Acebird,
 Freezing is necessary here because until those temperatures arrive, the wax moths have already made a mess - or at least began to. Seen it firsthand.  I just wrap/tape each medium I want to freeze inside a contractor bag and slip it into my upright freezer. Once done, I can store it anywhere I want.

Also, we've had cold snaps in the teens in recent years. Glad I had my Cozy's on. A couple of my other friends lost all or a good many of their hives during those times.

When I had my operation upstate in Delaware county, I always had those mouse guards on up there. Never needed them here.

Iddee,
Thank you for your advice. Will do. Next week is going to be the final Formic Pro treatment on my hives and during application, I'll get to do that.

BAHBEEs,
I'd never go into winter with less than 4 mediums. If I do feed, they'll need the space to store food. An interesting thing happened to me last Fall.  I left on a 4 inch baggie feeder super on top of the frames - so I could feed winter patties. Inner cover on top of that. As winter progressed, I noticed the bees clustering on top of the frames inside this feeding super. The only conclusion I could come to is that they filled out all the combs with what I fed them and had nowhere else to cluster.  That was okay with me.  If it keeps then alive, I'll keep doing it. BTW, I keep on a ventilated super over my inner cover to allow for convection escape.

OldBeavo,
Thank you. Interesting idea but I don't follow. Why would bees move down if heat always rises? And wouldn't we want to remove the bottom box since the top boxes hold the majority of resources?

[Acebird]

Acebird,
 Freezing is necessary here because until those temperatures arrive, the wax moths have already made a mess - or at least began to. Seen it firsthand.  I just wrap/tape each medium I want to freeze inside a contractor bag and slip it into my upright freezer. Once done, I can store it anywhere I want.

Clarification:  If a hive is healthy, wax moths never make a mess.  Now if you are referring to boxes not on an active colony then sure, but we were discussing an empty box at the bottom of an active hive.  With a 5 box high configuration I assumed it was healthy.

[incognito]

Put a hive mat between 4 and 5, leave an inch open at one end and leave for a couple of nights, bees will move down for the warm.
Repeat between 3 and 4 and see if 4 clears, if so remove. Check the progress early in the morning before bees go wandering.
Repeat between 2 and 3 and see what happens. If they don't clear then you know the limit.
Bees will pack down a lot more than what we can imagine, so may only wrap 2 boxes.

As a new beekeeper, I am afraid of removing resources that the bees stored where they wanted them. That includes removing brood that may be in any of the boxes you suggest removing.
 
 This part of beekeeping is hard for us inexperienced folks. I trust the bees to do the right thing more than I trust myself.
 
  My current configuration - from the top down:
  * a top feeder
  * a full medium of stored syrup/honey - from spring and summer feeding
  * a medium of mostly pollen, some honey, getting filled with syrup from fall feeding as brood emerges
  * a deep of brood and comb - the queen was last seen in this box
  * a deep of brood and comb
  * a robbing screen out front,
  * entrance reduced to the smallest size 
 
I am inclined to keep feeding a gallon of 2:1 syrup every other day or so. They moved a gallon of syrup I gave them late Sunday in less than 24 hours. I gave them another gallon late yesterday.
 
 Lots of pollen coming in recently.
 This colony has a lot of bees.
 Larvae were seen this weekend whereas a hive 6 feet away has only old capped brood.
 A master beekeeper visited my hive in September and did not suggest removing anything.
 Mite count of 7 in September, Apivar strips inserted and to be removed in November

[incognito]

Sorry guys, I was in computer text formatting hell for a while.