Weak Hive Rescue

[towson joe]

I have hive which started as package this Spring which has not filled the deeps enough to get it through the winter.
Queen is laying but population is low.

I have a five frame nuc box that is not being used. Would it make sense to move three frames from the weak hive which have the maximum brood and food to the nuc to see if the population could fill the nuc and it would have better chance over the winter with feeding?

Just a thought.

Bill

[Finsky]

I did not quite understand what is your meaning.

If colony is weak the queen may be bad quality. It had time to rise big but....Thatfore it is not wise to keep it over winter.

If you change now the queen, you get some brood yet for summer. Then you may take 3 frames of brood from strong another hive (do you have?)

If you have a strong hive you may even split into two parts.

I live in Finland and I arrange just for queen space where it makes brood for winter bees. You have longer summer and you have time for winter.
My brood will be finished in the first week of September. In the beginning  of Ochtober bees are in winterball.

[towson joe]

Trying to make the best of a bad situation without re-queening.
I thought by making the hive space smaller (nuc) the hive may be able fill the space better.

[Finsky]

I thought by making the hive space smaller (nuc) the hive may be able fill the space better.

Yes, that is necessary or at least very good.

[Brian D. Bray]

Reducing the hive space for a struggling hive can be a good move giving the bees a chance to become more cohesive.  If, however, the queen is a poor producer the only real solution is to obtain a new queen from a source outside the hive.

[towson joe]

thanks for the info
bill

[kensfarm]

Have you been feeding this hive?

[towson joe]

No

[tom]

Hello

  Are you in the middle of a dearth because if you are then you should try to feed them until they can start working on the fall flow. I am feeding one of my hives because they are not drawing out the rest of the frames and i also requeened them to so that has helped them out alot. IF you are not finding any good brood patterns then you should go on and feed them that to be on the safe side or you can kill the old queen and then unite them with a good strong hive and split in the spring. that way if you requeen then you can feed them until you are sure they have enough food to make it thru the winter and you will come into spring with a new queen and a fresh start. Also take some brood from one of your strong hive and put them in that way when they come out that will help build them up also just my opion.


Tom

[towson joe]

thanks

[tom]

Hello

  I do apologize for the double posting and you are welcome i have been out of the beekeeping game for a few years and things have changed since i last kept them but i have learned alot since i have come to this great website. But i think that is the best steal a couple of frames of good solid brood and give it to your weak hive that way when the brood hatch it will boost your weak hive up alot. And also feed them but if there is a flow going and they are bringing in pollen then they should have plenty of food for the brood and the most important thing is go ahead and requeen. I checked on my big hive today and changed hive bodies and my queen is laying solid brood and not leaving any room to much for storing pollen. In fact all my queens are laying up to speed and they are building up good.

Tom

[Brian D. Bray]

Tom's suggestion is a good one if you are determined to build up the hive enough to winter over.  Tom has shown himself to be a avid and fast learner to where he can now start advising others.

[tom]

Thank you

 It has been a pleasure to have gottten a lot of good advice from all of you i do learn fast and i am alweays open to learn more as my late grandmaster told me you are never to old to learn. And he is in his 70's and he say that at his age he is still learning.

Tom