I think it is time for my first hive combine.

[twb]

I think I found a new queen in one hive; eggs also. Just 35 days ago I saw "old" queen and eggs.(That is enough time to get mated and start laying?)  No honey stores :(. I reduced it to one deep.  Another hive has lots of bees and a full deep of honey, but I saw no queen(I could have easily missed her. That second hive has no or very little brood and no eggs. The bees in this hive seemed very content.  They did not have the qeenless "roar".  I am three weeks into Apiguard treatments.  I assume I should combine the first with second hive.  Assuming second hive is queenright must I kill one queen?  Should I place the deep full of honey on top of combine?  If you leave a super in original location of moved hive to catch stragglers how is that then combined? Is the pollen in frames of deep I removed going to be OK if exposed to wax moth crystals over the winter? Too many questions.  Thank you for your responses.

[Old Timer]

the hive could produce a queen(16 days) and have her laying(within 19 days) by 35 days. no honey stores? you should have been feeding. sorry but i blame you for them not having any stores. :-x  :) yes, if you combine, you should kill one of the queens a day before you combine. whichever queen you pinch should be a personal decision based on what you know about the queens and their daughters. as for your deep of honey, go through the other boxes and remove any empty or partially filled frames and replace them with with the frames of honey. this should be easy to do since hive #2 has little or no brood and it sounds like hive #1 is in the same boat except for the eggs. freeze the extra frames and put back into the hive when they will most likely need it in late winter. freeze the frames of pollen as well, and give them back in early febuary, when the bees will need it to feed the brood with when they start building up again. put the combined hive in the same position of the hive with the most bees. don't worry about the stragglers, if they don't rejoin the hive in the new position, they will take up residence in another hive. i hope this helps.

[twb]

Thanks O.T. I do appreciate your response and willingness to tell it like it is.  I looked at my hive log and saw no honey stores was just for the lower deep on the weak hive.  Upper deep had pollen, uncapped honey(probably my sy
rup), and eggs, new looking queen etc.  Sorry I did not make that clear in the original post.  I have been feeding 2:1 since mid September.  So, it sounds like you pull the 10 frames of honey from hive #1 except for a few frames used to replace not fully drawn and filled frames(I can think of 2 in lower deep).  Now combine the two hives.  What is the best time of day for this?  Then would it be best for the bees to simply place the deep of honey on top in a month or so?  That way they can get it when they want it and I do not have to open the hive in mid winter's cold. Thanks for your patience.  I am in the learning process here.  Could I  put a queen excluder between hive bodies and go with two queens through the winter if hive #1 still has a queen?                                                                           

[Michael Bush]

>Assuming second hive is queenright must I kill one queen?

Must?  No.  But it's usually nice to decide which one you want and keep the best one.

> Should I place the deep full of honey on top of combine?

Sure.

>  If you leave a super in original location of moved hive to catch stragglers how is that then combined?

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesmoving.htm

> Is the pollen in frames of deep I removed going to be OK if exposed to wax moth crystals over the winter?

IMO the comb isn't ok if exposed to moth crystals.  I'd use some Bt (Certan).  Sundance has some for sale in the for sale section here or you can buy it from www.beeworks.com

http://www.beeworks.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=18

[Cindi]

Michael, that was some very interesting reading on "beesmoving" on your site, very interesting.  I think that you need to know that you are a very good writer and make your site a very easy place to learn, simple, indepth, good stuff.  Have a wonderful day, great life.  Cindi

[Michael Bush]

>I think that you need to know that you are a very good writer and make your site a very easy place to learn, simple, indepth, good stuff.

Thank you.

[Old Timer]

i like your site too. now if only i could figure out how to make one....