I am planning to expand by adding 6 hives and would like to add 2 hives to the left of existing hives and 4 to the right of existing hives, see url below for current set up. The new hives would be put in place and their entrances blocked for a couple weeks then splits of existing hives would be used to increase the number of colonies along with 6 new queens. This seem like a reasonable path? Thanks
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/151/20120515bee2.jpg/ (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/151/20120515bee2.jpg/)
Sounds good, but why leave the hives closed for so long? The bees won't be interested in an empty box.
As Wayne mentioned there is no need to close off the entrances for two weeks and in fact that could prove to be very detrimental to your colonies. I would assume you would be feeding them and providing adequate ventilation while they were close up but they still need to forage and bring in pollen, etc...
Set them up, cage your new queens for a few days then release them. All should be well. Check them after 3-4 days to make sure you haven't loss any particular hives' numbers due to drift.
Are the top supers functional with frames?
...JP
I was going to place the new hive equipment in place with no bees in them and blocked off for a couple weeks just to let the the colonies in place get use to the new additions to the landscape then I would do the splits to the new hive equipment and add the new queens.
I don't think it matters to close them off. Bees may visit. But I wouldn't worry about it.
Quote from: ScooterTrash on July 07, 2012, 09:26:04 PM
I was going to place the new hive equipment in place with no bees in them and blocked off for a couple weeks just to let the the colonies in place get use to the new additions to the landscape then I would do the splits to the new hive equipment and add the new queens.
They require zero time to get use to empty woodenware. Blocking them off (no offense) makes no sense to the bees.
...JP
I know what you are worried about. You are worried that the bees may question which hive is theirs. However, their gps is much better than you think, they know right where they live. You could even change the color of their hive and set one up that looked just like their old hive three feet away and most would still get it right.
Only thing I would worry about is when you make splits, I would swap splits with mother hive locations for some time, weekly until they are equalized.
appreciate you folks weighing in I have a better handle on this thing now; at least this exercise.
I agree with the others that it is not necessary to plug them up. By the way beautiful looking hives. You could do similar to what you have done with your others for colors on the bottom boards or stat to paint symbols or shapes of different colors on the new ones and the girls will do the rest.
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So you add your hives 100% to 12 hives.
What you need is
- large stores for boxes, frames and other stuff
- new pastures. You have surely now enough hives to your pastures.
Those bees will keep flowers empty from nectar. Perhaps you annula yeild will go down when hives are more to share the yield.
Adding hives is so easy.