Combining hives: which queen should I keep?

TwoHoneys · September 09, 2011, 07:53:01 AM

I have three colonies that have built out only 2 or 3 medium boxes, and I know I should combine them within the next six weeks, but I'm conflicted about which queen to keep. Help me make my decision:

Hive #1: This is a third-year survival hive that swarms each year. It originated as a huge captured swarm. This year, I did a late-season split before it swarmed, but neither split has built up well. This hive contains the older queen of the split. I've harvested only ~10 pounds of honey from it over the course of its 3 years.

Hive #2: Originated this year as a first-year package with a Georgia queen. It immediately superseded the original queen and for a while, I nursed it along with brood from other hives. Late in the season, the new queen began to perform nicely. I combined a failing hive with it last month to boost the numbers.

Hive #3: Originated as a cut out in August. It took a while for the colony to rebound from the cut out, and though the queen seems to be picking up steam, their numbers are still small...they don't even cover all the comb on two medium boxes.

I see reasons to keep each queen, but I can't see how I can do it. If you've got suggestions for me, you've totally got my attention.

-Liz

BjornBee · September 09, 2011, 08:04:54 AM

I would keep queen number 2, and NOT wait six weeks to combine. I would do whatever you decide as soon as possible to allow the bees ample time to adjust, mover stores, and get setup for cold weather....which is coming very soon.

TwoHoneys · September 09, 2011, 08:29:35 AM

Thanks, Bjorn.

Kathyp · September 09, 2011, 12:37:40 PM

are you going to combine all? if 2 is big enough to make it, can you combine 1 and 3 and keep 3 queen?

TwoHoneys · September 09, 2011, 01:09:23 PM

Quote from: kathyp on September 09, 2011, 12:37:40 PM
are you going to combine all? if 2 is big enough to make it, can you combine 1 and 3 and keep 3 queen?

I'll look them all over once again this weekend, kathyp, to assess their strength...

Hive #2 has filled 3 8-frame mediums, but I'm not sure if that's enough to survive a midwestern winter. It's a gamble.

Why do you suggest letting queen #3 rule the combined 2&3 hives? Because she's a cut-out queen and probably survived last winter?

-Liz

Kathyp · September 09, 2011, 01:38:34 PM

no, i was thinking that if 2 could do on it's own then you could combine 1 and 3 and at least try to save that queen. if 2 is to small, then that won't work.

Scadsobees · September 09, 2011, 01:48:17 PM

Bees can overwinter without too much difficulty in a single deep brood box. That's still smaller than your #2 hive.

Personally I'd combine #1 and #3 with the #3 queen, and make sure #2 is full of stores.

But it is so much easier when deciding these things for other people than it is getting out there actually doing it oneself!! :-D