Should I combine my hives?

[beewitch]

Hi ya'll - I'm a new beek this year with 2 hives.  One is doing great.  The other is only limping along.  Haven't been able to locate the queen in this one in over 6 weeks - have put in 2 frames of brood - nothing.  Lots of drone cells, bees seem lethargic.  Few foragers. Should I go ahead and combine this hive with the healthy hive, or re-queen?  Is there enough time to re-queen?  I'm thinking just bite the bullit and try to go through with one really strong hive...
Thanks in an advance for any advice.

[Shawn]

I am having a similar problem. I have decided to combine two week queenless hives, one with a laying worker, and add a queen.

[asprince]

How many bees are left in the hive? If has not developed into a laying worker hive, you have time to requeen. If it is a laying worker hive, I would shake them out and let them join your other hive.


Good Luck,
Steve

[beewitch]

Thanks.  On last inspection (Sunday) did not see laying workers.  But just in case, I've seen the newspaper method of combining hives.  How do you do the "bee shake"?

[Kathyp]

are the drone cells scattered around the frames?  do you see any larvae?  if you have larvae and only drone cells scattered, odds are you have laying workers.   in that case, don't requeen unless you want to try the push cage method. 

to shake out the hive, take it and an empty box away from it's current location.  clear the bees from each frame by shaking them off and brushing the frame clean.  put the empty frame in the empty box and cover.  repeat with all frames.  take hive and frames and put them away.  the bees will fly back to old location and finding their hive gone will move into the other.

[beewitch]

Thanks for the advice.  I have no larvae and clustered drone cells on 2 frames.  Think I'll be shaking bees...

[asprince]

Shake them rather than combine with newspaper. If they need more room after they have joined, you can place the shaken hive and frames on top of the crowded hive.

Good Luck.

Steve