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Author Topic: Newspaper Combine Question  (Read 1472 times)

Offline GSF

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Newspaper Combine Question
« on: July 06, 2013, 07:52:05 pm »
Please allow me to advertise my ignorance..,

What the heck is it? I could only think that one may put two different weak colonies in two different supers separated only by a newspaper. It's either chewed through or yanked out later by the bee keeper. Am I close?
When the law no longer protects you from the corrupt, but protects the corrupt from you - then you know your nation is doomed.

Offline sweet bee

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Re: Newspaper Combine Question
« Reply #1 on: July 06, 2013, 08:27:24 pm »
Please allow me to advertise my ignorance..,

What the heck is it? I could only think that one may put two different weak colonies in two different supers separated only by a newspaper. It's either chewed through or yanked out later by the bee keeper. Am I close?

Yep! that's it! It doesn't necessarily have to be two weak hives, It can be combining a weak with a strong hive. Just as long as there is only one queen.
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would
not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything You gave me"

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Moots

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Re: Newspaper Combine Question
« Reply #2 on: July 06, 2013, 08:45:27 pm »
Please allow me to advertise my ignorance..,

What the heck is it? I could only think that one may put two different weak colonies in two different supers separated only by a newspaper. It's either chewed through or yanked out later by the bee keeper. Am I close?

That's pretty much how it works, no need for the beek to remove, they will chew through it and carry it out the hive within a couple of days.

There are diffenent theories....some use multiple pages, some spray it down with sugar water, etc. etc.
I've done a few, I use just a single sheet of dry newspaper with a few slits made with a razor knife or hive tool.  I've always cracked the top on the top box to give the bees in the top box a way to battle the heat until the colonies are joined....all have worked fine. 

It's amazing to observe the piles of shreaded newspaper accumulate outside the entrance to the hive.

Offline GSF

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Re: Newspaper Combine Question
« Reply #3 on: July 06, 2013, 10:11:53 pm »
Thanks yall
When the law no longer protects you from the corrupt, but protects the corrupt from you - then you know your nation is doomed.

Offline Wolfer

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Re: Newspaper Combine Question
« Reply #4 on: July 07, 2013, 12:09:47 am »
Although its probably better if you pinch the worst queen but if you can't find her you can still combine. There will only be one when it's over.
I could be wrong, I often am. But I believe the bees will usually chose the right queen.

Recently I had a drone laying queen that I couldn't find. The girls were in a snot. I didn't have any newspaper with me so I put one box on one hive and the other box on a different hive.
Next morning there were a few dead bees on the landing boards, not many. A week later both hives were queen right. I guess they made the right choice.

 

anything