I installed (2) 3lb. packs. april23. 1 has drawn about 6 good frames in a lot of not so good weather-rain almost every day-the other one is stuggeling to survive, only 2 or 3 frames drawn, not taking much feed, but queen is laying however not as many bees as other hive.
What do I need to do to save this colony?
I am in north Ga. can anyone please tell me what to do????
Might I suggest you switch hive positions during a sunny day...around noon in FULL SUN. Take the weak hive and place it where to strong one is. What that does is bolster the forager work force. The only other thing you can do is add brood from your strong one..but this risks weaking your strong one if it's only got 1 frame of brood.
MAKE SURE YOU SHAKE ALL BEES OFF SO YOU DON'T LOSE YOUR QUEEN.
See what some of the old timers say before you take brood...the switch is fool proof.
swapping hive positions won't hurt. also, some hives just get off to a slower start. keep a close eye as the weather improves. chances are, she'll catch up. also make sure that they have not stored so much syrup that she has no place to lay.