NewB needs help

[ElaineMHampton]

I have two hives on the edge of irrigated alfalfa fields in southern New Mexico. I started with nucs from a friend in July. We've had a terribly dry summer, but there are alfalfa fields all around.. mowing is staggared, so some in bloom and some just cut. Each hive has only about 6 frames filled out. We'll have alfalfa for most of the winter. Should I combine these two before winter? If so, how? Do I kill one of the queens? Any help appreciated.

[J-Bees]

have you tryed to add a small lofe pan with sticks.......... make sure the bees can not drownd while going in for some honey. Go to wal-mart get a large bottle of that junk honey and feed it back to them.

or maby stack them with a queen excluder inbetween for sure sounds like not enough food for a winter where I am but maby they will have enough there where you are if you have alfalfa fields they can still fend for themselves.

good luck

[Jim Cleary]

Please DO NOT feed junk honey that you can buy in the store as it may contain foulbrood and you would be contaminating your bees! That honey is safe for h
uman consumption not for bees! Feed them 2 to 1 sugar water instead. You have your work cut out for you,good luck.

[standman]

Elaine, I am still a newbee myself (2 years with bees, 8 hives going into winter), so take this opinion for what it is worth. I would not combine the hives yet. If the weather is warm enough for them to fly, I would feed 1 to 1 syrup if they are drawing out comb, or 2 to 1 if they have comb already drawn. Then I would add dry sugar (mountaincamp method) to sustain the bees through the "winter". My experience with this has been very good. Best of luck to you.

[J-Bees]

Please DO NOT feed junk honey that you can buy in the store as it may contain foulbrood and you would be contaminating your bees! That honey is safe for h
uman consumption not for bees! Feed them 2 to 1 sugar water instead. You have your work cut out for you,good luck.

Sir:

from where I live the wal-mart says that honey is from Va. the next state down from me.

NO WHERE does it say it is from another country, or JUNK.

[NDnewbeek]

I am with standman. Feed 1:1. I looked at your historical temp and precip averages for Las Cruces - in the dead of winter you have mean highs of 58 and mean lows of 28 with little precipitation. Certainly, you have your cold spells, but it also seems as though there will be days even in December and January when bees can fly. Given that you have year-round alfalfa, I wouldn't panic. Just keep feeding 1:1 and let them build up.

My take might be a bit casual though for your circumstances, as I am in North Dakota! I am prepping for another 9 month winter of -40F and piles of snow!

[Jim Cleary]

First off JBEES , it was your statement that it was junk honey and I never said it was from another country! If you can not verify that honey if free of foulbrood you should never feed it to your bees! Always know your source is safe otherwise use sugarwater.