i have a small swarm hived in a medium that could really use a boost.
and a fresh cutout i did today with 7 frames of comb in a deep and a good number of bees in it.
i don't think i got the queen or if i did i think she got vacuumed up instead of caught with the catcher.
the only way she may have gotten in the hive without damage would have been on a piece of comb when i framed them.
the question is this.
if i don't have the queen i will elect to do the combine. i want the fresh deep in the bottom with the cutout hive and the swarm hive in the medium on top.
the medium swarm has been hived for at least a month and has a good queen with 3 frames drawn comb and good brood pattern for this time of year.
which hive should be on top and which should be on bottom?
will it matter?
if the combine works then it should be a really good hive to go into winter.
thanks.
Bailey
Quotethe question is this.
if i don't have the queen i will elect to do the combine. i want the fresh deep in the bottom with the cutout hive and the swarm hive in the medium on top.
the medium swarm has been hived for at least a month and has a good queen with 3 frames drawn comb and good brood pattern for this time of year.
which hive should be on top and which should be on bottom?
will it matter?
It doesn't matter. Whichever way it will be easiest for you to manipulate when the combine is finished.
Quote from: bassman1977 on August 22, 2008, 12:00:27 AM
Quotethe question is this.
if i don't have the queen i will elect to do the combine. i want the fresh deep in the bottom with the cutout hive and the swarm hive in the medium on top.
the medium swarm has been hived for at least a month and has a good queen with 3 frames drawn comb and good brood pattern for this time of year.
which hive should be on top and which should be on bottom?
will it matter?
It doesn't matter. Whichever way it will be easiest for you to manipulate when the combine is finished.
Yeah, just make it work, either way is fine.
...JP
Well to tag on to this conversation - I had two hives, one that had one brood box and the other with two. The singlet was weak and struggling. I placed the singlet on top of the two brood boxes with newspaper in between. About a week later, I removed the remnants of the newspaper, mostly just the parimeter remaining. I popped the top and peered in yesterday and everything looks okay...lots of bees in the top box.
So, now what? In preparation for the winter, should I drive the bees down and reduce the hive to two boxes?
Thanks for the help...
sometimes you get lucky! the queen was in the cutout safe and sound! the weaker hives are doing fine and a bonus swarm that came to my bee yard yesterday just got hived an hour ago.
mo bees mo bees mo bees!! :-D
Bailey