What would you do with extra bees

[Tyro]

I have finally met another hobby beekeeper in my part of the state (ND).  He is a monk at the nearby Abbey and he keeps 3 hives - very well apparently, they were each in 4 deep hive bodies.  He checked them last week and had so many bees that he pullled frames of bees and brood, too late though to make a split.  He has offered the bees and brood to me (4 frames total) so I have to decide what I am going to do with them. 

I have two hives that are lagging, but are finally looking like they are getting it together (each has started to draw out a 2nd deep - I am feeding like crazy, and each has about 6 or 7 frames of bees).

I have two other hives that are just not going well.  They refuse to expand (and have refused for months now).  Both are stalled at 3-4 frames of bees each.  I am planning on combining them just before winter and trying to get them through that way.

So, what would you do with the extra bees?

I am currently considering a couple of options:

1.  Add 2 frames each to the hives that are going now in order to give them a boost

2.  Do a newspaper combine of the four frames to one of the really weak hives.

If I choose option 1 - I am probably making the decision to condemn the weak hives
If I choose option 2 - I might be throwing more resources down the drain.

Any advice?

Thanks

Mike

[RayMarler]

I know what you mean. I hate throwing resources after bees that never seem to take off like I think they should. I think if I was in your situation, I'd choose the worst queen of your worst hive and off her in mid to late morning, then in late afternoon or evening, just combine them with the next weakest hive, just join them together no newspaper, should work fine if you wait at least 4 hours after offing the bad queen. The next day, add in the four frames of free bees. You'll end up with 3 hives that should make it through winter this way instead of ether 2 or 4 hives, kind of a middle road that might pay off a little better come spring.

[asprince]

I would do as Ray suggested or I would go even further and combine the two weaker hives with the two stronger hives and add in the extra brood and bees. Two strong hives going into winter.....maybe early splits next spring.

Good Luck,

Steve

[RayMarler]

yeah, now that I see where you're at, I might agree more with asprince, combine them all into 2 stronger for over winter might be even better, and keep that feed going to them until first frost? ( I don't know the timing of your weather though I can only imagine how cold it might get in January.)  Give them time to get it cured before it turns off too cold.

[Tyro]

Thanks for the replies.  I keep pretty good records - from last year, my bees took syrup until early November, so I might have a little bit of time left.  I am definitely combining the weak hives, but I hadn't thought about combining the stronger - thanks for the suggestion!

[asprince]

I was thinking a weak + strong. Not strong + strong or weak + weak.


Steve

[Creamhorses]

Very interesting and informative......I'm subscribing to this thread.  First I've heard of too many bees and thinning the colony rather than adding a room.

Dave

[Kathyp]

i'm not sure thinning is the right word.  maybe tyro can tell us, but i'm guessing the padre wanted to cram them down and didn't want to waste the brood.  forcing crowding in very cold places is often done.  first advice i got on that years ago came from finski (finsky).  Finland qualifies as a cold winter place.  :-)

i have two that will be candidates for radical size reduction, but there is still to much brood.  i have a bit of time yet.

[Tyro]

Kathyp is correct.  Br. Bertrand has been keeping bees at the Abbey since the late 70's or early 80's.  At one time, he ran more than 150 hives (I presume that the honey was sold through the Abbey as a means of support).  Presently, he has only 3 hives (each hive consists of an incredible 4 deep hive bodies).  When he checked last week, he had tons of bees, but not enough honey for so many to make it through winter.  As a result, he cut frames of brood and bees out of each of the hives.  He made splits, but this late in the season, there is little hope that they would survive our winter. 

I picked up one of the splits tonight.  Four frames of bees and brood.  I still haven't decided what to do.  I am leaning toward combining it with the stronger of the two weak hives.  I can then still combine the weak hives with the strong hives if I need to later on.  If I combine with one of the weak ones - I might be able to get another hive going for winter though - so I think that I will give them a chance.  I will keep the board posted.

Mike