[Robert Hicks]

Listening to this forum and other beekeepers, I get the impression that 2 hives are almost always better than one.

Can the forum say that "Yes, 2 or more hives are certainly better" and then list the benifits of two and the problems with one. I can guess the obvious but maybe there are additional reasons that are more subtle.

Thanks!

-Rob

 

[Dan Williamson]

YES! 2 hives are better than one. Why?

You have resources and a comparison should one hive need help

1) If one hives loses a queen. You have a source of eggs from which the bees can make a queen.

2) You have a comparison to see whether the hive is doing well or not. With only one hive a beginner will not be as apt to notice that their hive is struggling or having any number of problems. With a comparison you can more easily see that one is doing better than the other.

3) Should one hive die. You have another hive from which you can make a split to build up rather than spending more money on a split or package. You only have to raise a queen or buy one.

4) The hobby is addictive.....You're gonna end up with alot more than 2

So you might as well get it the first time around

I'm sure that there are many more reasons others can contribute...

Dan

 

[Michael Bush]

Yes. Dan covered the whys.

 

[Robert Hawkins]

You may need to draw frames of honey from the strong hive and give it to the weak hive. Dan covered doing that with frames of brood. One good theory is to equalize both hives all the time. It seems to work well but you can't do it with just one hive. It's just like having a spare everything.

Hawk