Recently, I was speaking with a beekeeper in Missouri, we were discussing the subject of why bees move up into the super during the winter months. I wanted to take a moment and share this conversation with everyone because it is a great discussion matter. There are several reasons for this happening.
The first reason is that the warmth, the bees create, in the hive rises to the top of the hive. As the heat rises to the top of the hive, the bees want to follow this heat to help conserve their own energy (within the cluster) and be efficient in the hive.
The second reason is the honey acts like an insulation barrier within the hive. Due to the density of honey it cannot change temperatures rapidly and offers your bees better heating efficiency within the hive.
The third reason is the honey is their winter food source and it is much more easier for the bees to eat and not go far from the warmth of the cluster.
Lastly, January is a time your bees will be eating their honey stored up in the super. An easy way to check the honey reserves is to pick-up the rear of the hive to see what the weight is. The weight will be the heavier if there is adequate honey reserves. If it is light weighted, you need to start feeding sugar water to your bees and or a supplement as soon as possible.
Beekeepers should not try to force the cluster of bees back down to the brood box. If this happens, the cluster will have to work harder to keeping warm. You may even lose your colony due to the cluster cannot keep warm.
Ray