Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Moving and combining at the same time - issues to consider?  (Read 1867 times)

Offline tjc1

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 752
  • Gender: Male
Moving and combining at the same time - issues to consider?
« on: September 04, 2013, 09:16:12 pm »
I am going to combine a swarm and it's mother hive since neither took off after the swarm and I figure they'll have a better chance for the winter this way. Here's the scenario:

I moved the swarm 20 miles away and will now be returning it.

The swarm is about 7 frames of a 10 frame deep

The mother hive is on 10 frames of a 10 frame deep

DO I:

Put the swarm above or below? Seems the empty frames should be on the bottom ...?
Keep the swarm blocked in until after the combine occurs, or should both deeps have their own entrances?
Need to do anything (like putting a branch over the swarm's entrance) to help with reorientation?

I know that I have to close up the swarm at night, and imagine that I should move them early the next morning and do the combine asap.

Thanks!

Moots

  • Guest
Re: Moving and combining at the same time - issues to consider?
« Reply #1 on: September 04, 2013, 10:48:40 pm »
I'd probably put the swarm on top, but have no real argument as to why that would be better than putting it on the bottom, or if it even matters.

I think the only argument for allowing them each their own entrance and not keeping either totally blocked in would be the potential of over heating.  Not sure what kind of temps you're having, but here is south Louisiana you run the chance of cooking your bees before they complete the combine if you don't give them each their own entrance.  For this reason alone, I always give each hive an entrance when doing a combine.

No need to use a branch to help them reorient, a 20 mile move will clue the bees into that automatically.  The branch trick is for shorter moves, under 2 or 3 miles.

Good luck!  :)

Offline capt44

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 740
  • Gender: Male
  • If it don't work I'll always think it should have
    • RV BEES
Re: Moving and combining at the same time - issues to consider?
« Reply #2 on: September 05, 2013, 12:03:26 am »
I would put the swarm on top and let them merge.
There is still time for the bees to fill the empty frames.
I would use a vented inner cover for venting the upper box.
I am in the process of merging some trap-out bees with some of my hives.
The temps here have been pretty high, upper nineties.
They are lower this week.
Richard Vardaman (capt44)

Offline rwlaw

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 318
  • Gender: Male
Re: Moving and combining at the same time - issues to consider?
« Reply #3 on: September 06, 2013, 08:11:35 am »
Are both the hives queened? Maybe dispatch the weaker hives queen & put them on top and then you can do your manipulations after a day or so
Can't ever say that bk'n ain't a learning experience!

Offline Carol

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 380
  • Gender: Female
    • critters and crawlers visiting or living in my back yard
Re: Moving and combining at the same time - issues to consider?
« Reply #4 on: September 06, 2013, 12:46:54 pm »
Glad I read this post.....I am doing a newspaper combine. My hive had no Queen and bees getting low so bought a package to add to them. I have them in the top deep with an inner cover ...then an empty medium super for feeding...I have a screened inner cover over that. If I give them an entrance it will encourage robbing wont it? I just raised the telescoping cover with a few narrow sticks for air flow. Will that be OK? I'll just do that during the hot part of the day and close up at night.

Offline rwlaw

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 318
  • Gender: Male
Re: Moving and combining at the same time - issues to consider?
« Reply #5 on: September 07, 2013, 12:58:25 am »
The top box needs a entrance when your doing a newspaper combone, what I do for a couple days is put the bottom board right on top of the box and if your afraid of robbing, you can slide a reducer in. Never had a problem.
Can't ever say that bk'n ain't a learning experience!

Offline tjc1

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 752
  • Gender: Male
Re: Moving and combining at the same time - issues to consider?
« Reply #6 on: September 07, 2013, 08:52:01 pm »
The top box needs a entrance when your doing a newspaper combone, what I do for a couple days is put the bottom board right on top of the box and if your afraid of robbing, you can slide a reducer in. Never had a problem.

That's a clever idea - thanks! I did the combine today - everything seemed to go smoothly. Found the swarm queen while moving the frames into another deep, and put her in the freezer; I heard that you can keep them in alcohol to create a queen pheromone lure for swarms - have to search the forum for that one.

Offline RHBee

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1095
  • Gender: Male
  • That's my pooch.
Re: Moving and combining at the same time - issues to consider?
« Reply #7 on: September 07, 2013, 09:56:50 pm »
tjf1...I'm sure that it's a matter much preference but in the future consider keeping the younger queen. She will be in build up mode and is less likely to swarm in spring. Just passing on what I've learned.  You should still do well. Good luck.
Ray
Later,
Ray

Offline tjc1

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 752
  • Gender: Male
Re: Moving and combining at the same time - issues to consider?
« Reply #8 on: September 08, 2013, 11:34:34 pm »
I took the swarm queen out assuming that she was the original queen and that the new queen would be the one who stayed with the hive. If that is true, I have the new (and locally mated) queen in the combined hive now.

 

anything