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Author Topic: Adding bee's to a hive  (Read 2950 times)

Offline TwT

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Adding bee's to a hive
« on: July 13, 2005, 06:10:11 pm »
I did a removal about 3 weeks ago ( swarm that started in a church a few weeks before) and it wasnt a large hive but it was very healthy, only had about 7 combs, I took the little bit (but not all the honey ) and set them up in a hive, I went on vacation about 3 days later and was gone for 2 weeks, when i got home the population was down alittle and they were moving wax from there comb i rubberband in and putting it on the foundation, ( derth ) so I started feeding and was wondering, since I have 3 huge and over full hives and would like to take some bees from 1 of those hives or all 3 if i could and add to the small one, what should i do to do this , I thought about shaking some bees in a empty brood box and introducing the bee's to the hive with the news paper method. is there any easier ways to add bee's from 1 hive to another? all onfo will be appreciated!!
THAT's ME TO THE LEFT JUST 5 MONTHS FROM NOW!!!!!!!!

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Offline bassman1977

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Adding bee's to a hive
« Reply #1 on: July 13, 2005, 06:26:59 pm »
You can always take brood from the strong hives' and add them to your weak hive.  It will take a bit longer, but will definately add to the colony.
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Offline TwT

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Adding bee's to a hive
« Reply #2 on: July 13, 2005, 06:31:12 pm »
yeh I know about taking brood but I wanted to know about shaking some bee's from 1 hive to another, is there a easier way than adding with the newspaper method just to build population fast,
THAT's ME TO THE LEFT JUST 5 MONTHS FROM NOW!!!!!!!!

Never be afraid to try something new.
Amateurs built the ark,
Professionals built the Titanic

Offline bayareaartist

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Adding bee's to a hive
« Reply #3 on: July 14, 2005, 01:25:57 pm »
How about taking two frames of brood & bees and all and putting them in the weaker hive. Take a frame each from each strong hive, just make sure the queen is not on the frames, I have seen the queen transferred twice now in two separate situations.
Put the frames in the hive on opposite sides of the center, say 3rd over from the center.
The worker bees will fly home to their own hive and the nurse bees will stay where they are, hopefully you will get a frame or two with brood and eggs so if the colony doesn't like its queen it can make a new one.
I think Finsky says one frame bee’s equals 1# bees, so if you can get two to three frames in the hive it will bring the hive up to speed pretty fast.
And then you can put new frames in the other hives and the bees can draw them out and the queen will fill them up in a week with eggs.
It’s worked for me.

If you are worried about the bees killing the queen, which is a possibility, I have seen this happen when adding frames of bees and brood together, you could cage the queen and leave her in the hive caged for a few days so the bees can acclimate to each other.
Donn

Offline TREBOR

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Adding bee's to a hive
« Reply #4 on: July 15, 2005, 10:26:58 pm »
you could also switch the positions of the weakest and the strongest
hives in the middle of the day while the bees are out workin, when they
come back they will go in the hive you moved there!