IMy plan is to take away one brood box in this case the lower one because it has more capped brood etc. Take the brood box away put it on a bottom board with a cover etc. and let the feild bees fly home to the origional site. ........... Any comments?
Chad
1) You should fist find a queen.
2) Then move whole hive from site.
3) Put new hive with foundations in old site. Put queen inside.
Give to it one brood frame with larvas. Maybe you need 2 box foundations.
Old hive has it's queen cells and the new has the queen.
4) Let the new build foundations ready. It takes one week with syrup. Then stop feeding.
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If you want honey, you should put parts together after new queens have emerged.
It is wise to renew queens because they are willing to swarm. Strongest hives swarm more than weak.
It idea to kill swarming fever. When it is over, it is idea to get them work for honey.
When you give them new queen, it doest not swarm this summer if you give it new space and take capped honey away.
You may make little nucs to start new hives, but not big ones because they you do not get honey from hive.