A bit of a blurry picture that doesn't do this colony justice as this part of the flooring was framed with 2x10 joists providing plenty of space.  These girls were booming with plenty of winter stores and a lot of dark nectar being worked into honey.  In all it took about 6 hours to relocate this gentle honeybees to their new home.

Italian honey bees are known to raise brood regardless of nectar flow unlike their Carniolian relatives who almost stop rearing. These girls are certainly Italians as my Carni colonies have noticeable reductions in population. The girls in the picture are quite healthy having produced an extra two full mediums of honey for me with plenty left for themselves. I'll keep an eye on their stores to make sure all those mouths don't empty the pantry before winter sets in.