Feed then combine or combine then feed????

[Georgia Boy]

Have 3 hive that have gotten robbed and now have no stores. 1 is queenless. I was going to combine today but since they haven't any stores, honey or pollen, I think it might be best to feed first and then combine in a week when they have built up some stores.

What do y'all think.

Need advice.

Thanks.
David

[iddee]

Combine and feed imediately.

[10framer]

david,
i mentioned to someone last night that you'd been a way for a while.  i'd probably combine them then feed them.  if they're weak enough to be getting robbed then they might just get robbed again after you feed them.
what brought on the robbing?  how weak are these hives?  are you sure that robbing is all that's going on?  

[sc-bee]

Combine then feed. Then you can strip the empties not needed. If you feed first you my have a lot of partially filled frames to deal with.

[Georgia Boy]

Well, after my wife said "why can't you combine and feed at the same time?" That is exactly what I did.

One hive which was still queenless even after giving it three frames of eggs for three weeks. They made queen cells and the cells hatched but still no queen or eggs anywhere in the hive. It was now a weak 8 frame only using about 4 of the 8 frames for pollen and nectar so I split it between my two weak hives that have queens but were robbed of their honey.

I am doing a newspaper combine. Both the upper and lower boxes have their own reduced entrances, reduced down to about one bee width to help stop the robbing. I have screened bottom boards so they won't over heat. I then put a jar feeder on top of my inner cover and covered it with an empty supper and the outer cover so no robbers can get to it. That way they can hopefully build up and combine at the same time.

[10framer]

They'll be through that paper in a day or two.

[hiram.ga.bee.man]

When i am having trouble with a weak hive, find that nuc boxes save the day. Move currently used frames to a nuc and d our triple stack the nucs. it increases the ability for them to defend their foods stores. Hives generally take off so to speak.

[Georgia Boy]

The two weakest hives were 5 frame nucs I got on the 11 of May. I didn't have any nucs to put them in so I had to put them in my 8 frame medium hives even though they really weren't ready for that big of a box. I now think that demoralized them and they never really built up enough. They were overwhelmed with the task at hand and were only doing enough to get by.

I now have them back into 2, 5 frame nucs. When they combine there will be enough bees to protect the frames and stores.

I hope.

[10framer]

5 frame nucs should have easily covered 8 frames by now.  that's 2-1/2 months to less than double.  i'd be looking for other problems (mites or failing queens to start).

[RHBee]

The two weakest hives were 5 frame nucs I got on the 11 of May. I didn't have any nucs to put them in so I had to put them in my 8 frame medium hives even though they really weren't ready for that big of a box. I now think that demoralized them and they never really built up enough. They were overwhelmed with the task at hand and were only doing enough to get by.

I now have them back into 2, 5 frame nucs. When they combine there will be enough bees to protect the frames and stores.

I hope.

David, last year I got my 2 nucs around the end of April. First thing I did was to put them in a larger box.  Then I fed them each 2gal of 1-1. They never looked back. I don't think you can hurt their feelings. The only reason I know of to restrict room is to help them defend their space. To much space, not enough bees=wax moth or SHB playground.
Ray

[sc-bee]

Well, after my wife said "why can't you combine and feed at the same time?" That is exactly what I did.
 

Kinda what I pictured but I didn't state it that way did I. Ain't wives smart  :-D