View Full Version : Question on combining a hive.
msmithnewbee
09-29-2008, 06:09 PM
in the end of july,we split a good, strong hive to see if they would raise a new queen. they did, and we went back to check on them. the queen had some white gacky something or another comming out of the side of her abdomen but appeared to be laying. don't know if she got hurt on the mating flight or what. she disappeared. We attempted to put more brood (mostly capped with a few larva) in the hive to raise a new queen, but all hatched and no new queen. now, there is no brood or queen in the hive. the cold season is apon us (michigan). we were wondering how to put the queenless hive back on one of our bigger hives for the winter. do i have to put something to seperate the two brood chambers (newspaper) so they won't fight and kill the queen in the big hive? (the queenless hive is only 1 large hive box)
Eaglerock
09-29-2008, 07:02 PM
Contact:
Purvis Brothers Apiaries, Inc.
5122 Trackrock Camp Road
Blairsville, GA 30512
706-781-3128 (voice and fax)
rozanne@alltel.net
www.purvisbrothersbees.com
And order a new queen.
msmithnewbee
09-29-2008, 07:20 PM
yes thats a possibility, but what about the hive being only 1 large. making it through the michigan winter?and what about the hybrid queen in Michigan winters?
dhood
09-29-2008, 08:25 PM
If your sure that there is not a queen or laying worker in the hive, you can easily combine them the way you mentioned. As long as they are indeed queenless they should except the queen. With a newspaper will work fine. I have done this and had no problems. Daniel,
If it is queenless and broodless and no laying workers, just place it on top of a strong hive, yes, works just fine.
Hobie
09-30-2008, 07:10 AM
I just did this last week. There was a bit of confusion amongst the strong hive bees, because they had a top entrance, and I plopped a sheet of newspaper and a box of strangers on it, and they had to find the lower entrance. But they seem to have sorted things out with a minimum of fighting. They are calling for 3 days of rain now, and I am hoping that they are all getting along now that they are stuck indoors with each other.
msmithnewbee
09-30-2008, 04:28 PM
thanks for the info! guess were going to combine them.