Hi there HF,
oohh...well, the girls will need about 2/3 to 3/3 a super of stores to overwinter on apparently. So, if there's that much space in the brood box of drawn comb which they can immediatly store syrup/honey into, then cool. If not, I'd leave a block of fondant on the top in the empty super so i) they can store it if they can else ii) they'll just take it as needed off the block.
But if a full brood chamber, then give then a framed, drawn super to store into.
I've done the experiment again BTW and they really wont take my medicated syrup with an excluder on. But you do need to have one on with fondant as the fondant will melt and drip down between the frames, thus killing anything underneath (egg/larvae). The girls do take fondant through an excluder though....it really is syrup which my girls love but hate the excluder for. Funny little things. :-)

Have you reduced down the entrance yet? I think I'm going to do mine but not sure if it's too early..... (wasps have all but disappeared now). TTFN
P17B

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