Julie and I combined one of our large yet queenless colonies yesterday with a small cutout colony we removed last Sunday. We placed the new smaller hive on top of the other using the newspaper separator method with a few slits cut in it. How long does it typically take the hives to chew through and accept each other becoming one hive and when may I finally see pollen coming in to hive. :)
Thanks,
Chris
It depends on the bees and population. It can happen as soon as a couple of hrs. Usually over in two days or so.
Scott
Quote from: hardwood on May 29, 2012, 06:41:20 PM
It depends on the bees and population. It can happen as soon as a couple of hrs. Usually over in two days or so.
Scott
Thanks Scott! Glad to know it will probably be quicker than the "week or so" the books mention. I really want this nice Alder Street hive to have a queen and take off like my other hives. They are a very gentle bee and the cutout was not a pretty one or particularly easy on them.
The First time that I did it, I left it on for 4 days before checking. The top deep hive was heavy so I lifted it and ask my buddy Jim what it looked like. He said it was gone. I didn't believe him and had him lift it, sure enough, there wasn't a sign of it inside of the hive. The bottom oil tray looked like I had filled it full of cellulose insulation. Only the paper on the outside of the hive was left.
Jim
I usually figure a day or so. It doesn't take them long.
I did two combinations a few weeks ago. It was my first attempt and both were very successful! I used the newspaper, but I double layered it and sprayed each layer with sugar water. By the next morning, the bees were very busy carrying paper dust out of their hive and both hives have just exploded!