Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: 1 Queenless hive, 2 new packages, ? on saving a hive  (Read 2991 times)

Offline harvey

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 493
  • Gender: Male
1 Queenless hive, 2 new packages, ? on saving a hive
« on: April 28, 2010, 10:08:16 pm »
I have one hive that is queenless and has been for at least 7 weeks.  Bees are still gentle? There is almost as many bee's in this hive as there was in my three pound packages.  I just installed two packages on foundationless frames, both queens have been released.  I put two frames of honey in each new hive from the queenless hive.  If the queen from either new hives starts laying in the old comb can I take that frame with eggs and brood along with some house bee's and put it in the queenless hive?   Might they still have time to recover?  I know I will slow the one hive down some but would really like to save the queenless one. 

Offline MacfromNS

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 126
  • Gender: Male
Re: 1 Queenless hive, 2 new packages, ? on saving a hive
« Reply #1 on: April 28, 2010, 10:38:31 pm »
What if you combine the queenless hive and let your new ones build up and then do a spit
The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling.
And even more beautiful is knowing that you are the reason behind it!!!
Mac

Offline kedgel

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 192
  • Gender: Male
Re: 1 Queenless hive, 2 new packages, ? on saving a hive
« Reply #2 on: April 28, 2010, 10:40:45 pm »
I'd combine them with one of the other hives. One "super hive" will produce better than two small hives.  When a new hive is starting up, they need to build up their numbers.  It will be some time before they will have a frame of brood to spare.  Barring that, I'd get a new queen.

Kelly
Talent is a dull blade that cuts nothing unless wielded with great force--Pat Travers

Offline harvey

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 493
  • Gender: Male
Re: 1 Queenless hive, 2 new packages, ? on saving a hive
« Reply #3 on: April 28, 2010, 11:18:57 pm »
I don't have any idea where to get a queen.  I called one place in ohio and they said they wouldn't have any mated queens for almost another month.  I don't think the one hive will make it that long?  Maybe?  Course it would take that long if they make there own queen to wouldn't it!  I recon combining might be the answer.  or maybe split the bee's and combine some with each queen right hive?   How would you go about this?  two pieces of newspaper and then set the old box on top? 

Offline kedgel

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 192
  • Gender: Male
Re: 1 Queenless hive, 2 new packages, ? on saving a hive
« Reply #4 on: April 29, 2010, 11:32:25 pm »
Try W.T. Kelley.  I got a package from them and the queen had a problem, so they overnighted me a replacement at no charge.  You should be able to get a queen from them overnighted.  If their numbers are critically low, you can trade places with a stronger hive.  It will fool a lot of the returning field bees into taking up residence in the weak one.

If you combine, put a couple sheets of newspaper on top of a queenright hive and put the queenless one on top.  Put the bottom board on top for a top entrance.  Make sure it is secured or the wind might blow it off.  After a week or so, they should eat through the paper and begin to intermingle with their new neighbors gradually, so war doesn't break out.  After they have eaten away a good bit of the newspaper, you can pull the rest off and put the regular top back on.  If SHB's are a problem in your area, I would remove any frames of empty comb to reduce the area they have to patrol and replace them gradually as they build back up.  Be sure to watch and replace the frames and put on supers before they get crowded to avoid swarming.  Good luck!

Kelly
Talent is a dull blade that cuts nothing unless wielded with great force--Pat Travers

Offline harvey

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 493
  • Gender: Male
Re: 1 Queenless hive, 2 new packages, ? on saving a hive
« Reply #5 on: April 29, 2010, 11:35:45 pm »
Thanks I will call Kelly and see,  I would really like to save this hive.

Offline Scadsobees

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 3198
  • Gender: Male
  • Best use of smileys in a post award.
Re: 1 Queenless hive, 2 new packages, ? on saving a hive
« Reply #6 on: April 30, 2010, 09:12:30 am »
You can take a frame of eggs and give that to the queenless hive.

The problem is if this has been going on for a while, they may try and figure it out themselves and you'll end up with a laying worker.  In that case they should still try raising a queen.  But in that case I'd hesitate to combine.

If me was you I'd try the frame of eggs first.  It is a bit risky, it could be too late for that.

Rick
Rick

 

anything