I went into winter with 7 hives and came out 4 alive (better than losing them all atleast). Anyway, the one hive seems to not have the numbers that the other have. Would it be safe to just switch frames between hives, or what would be the best way about doing this?
Stupid question but, when do you think my numbers should be up in the other hives where I would be able to do splits or grafting?
You can add a frame of brood to boost numbers in low population hives. You can also make splits with your good hives, but remember, you will not get much of a honey harvest with a split.
You could also swap the low population hive's location with a stronger one. The foragers will come home to the same location and bolster the hives numbers.
I would keep a close eye on that queen, though, and try to determine why the low numbers. Do you think she just hasn't kicked into gear yet? How old is she?
Maybe they were hurting in numbers coming out of winter. The big question, how did the hives get treated for mites in the fall?
since you are in the north and weather is not so great yet, i'd do the position swap first. see what happens. see what your brood pattern looks like as weather warms. some hives don't pick up as quickly. one of mine is behind, but the brood pattern was very good, so i left it until the next check to see if they were just slow starting and maybe smaller coming out of winter.
Quote from: AliciaH on April 27, 2011, 09:23:57 PM
You could also swap the low population hive's location with a stronger one. The foragers will come home to the same location and bolster the hives numbers.
I would keep a close eye on that queen, though, and try to determine why the low numbers. Do you think she just hasn't kicked into gear yet? How old is she?
The weak hive swarmed 2 times last year. The queen has to be 7 months old, and a lot of dead bees were taken out of the hive. It's only been warm for a couple of days, I guess the real question is how long do I wait till I say "this queen needs to be replaced?" but like I said the numbers are low. Me being impatientness could be a a reason why i could be worried as well too. :)
Quote from: AllenF on April 27, 2011, 09:33:10 PM
Maybe they were hurting in numbers coming out of winter. The big question, how did the hives get treated for mites in the fall?
I didn't treat for mites in the fall and when checking the sbb, I didn't see on there as well either.
look at the pattern that she's laying. it's less about the amount in a small hive because they will only lay the brood that the hive can care for (ideally). if the pattern is tight and and the bees are covering it, you should be ok. if you can boost the numbers in the hive it should build up more quickly.