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If they don't need to be gone in a hurry could you do a bailey comb change to get them into new boxes first? Or are these too far gone even for that?

By surface area 8 14x12 frames is actually slightly more than 11 national frames, so they're hardly mini hives! Buy a few supers and there's no reason you can't keep a colony in there indefinitely providing the queen's not too prolific.

Here's one from last summer, on a dahlia at Groombridge Place.

Seconds are fine, but contrary to others in this thread I have had rejects and at much lower volumes (2 packs of 50 from Thornes). Just the odd couple though, so they're still substantially cheaper than first grade. In both cases knots at the narrow point of the top bar - nails went in and the...

Hijacking thread, but on topic, how strict is the 3ft/3mile rule? I'll potentially be looking to move a colony 2.68 miles in the not too distant future and would rather not have an intermediate step. I'm guessing it'll be ok but would prefer some more experienced opinions.

Top bar with some sort of comb guide - strip of foundation/wedge/lolly sticks, and bottom bars, but no "middle" support, e.g. sticks/wires/etc. Should still be extractable but with greater care needed to stop the frames blowing out.

I've got lolly sticks under the top bar as a comb guide and, so far at least, the other foundationless frames are ok. Not perfect, but not bad enough that I've had to pull them. Already decided against the vertical supports in super frames, though I've got a fair few already built with them...

Bucket taped to a Lidl extendable lopper, on top of a borrowed triple ladder did the trick. Branch was just about thin enough to lop and drop straight into the bucket with most of the bees. It felt very precarious and if the neighbours were looking out the windows they must think I'm nuts, but...

Looks like when I knocked them down to 1 remaining queen cell the sneaky buggers snuck another past me. Hopefully that's it and they've not left the hive hopelessly queenless! Out of curiosity I went for a quick peek to see how many bees were left in the hive (lots!), just lifted the supers and...

Could be cheap smoker fuel. Or secret santa gift for JBM.

Back on topic, I went to help @Nighthaunt find and mark his queens, only to find sealed queen cells in both and no queen or eggs in either colony. Doh! Sadly they haven't ended up in my bait hives :(

and £50-£100 lighter depending whether uniting or not. Just offering another option

Or squish both queens and let them raise new ones - you say 2/3 frames of brood, I assume there are worker eggs and young larvae in there somewhere? If a walk away split can be done with just a couple of frames and letting them raise an emergency queen then this isn't much different!

The nucleus method - The Apiarist as JBM described above. Easiest way to solve the problem imho, assuming you're ok at finding the queen - given that you saw 3/3 today I assume that's not a problem. Roughly speaking: 1) Choose an open but charged queen cell (capped/sealed will work, but it's...

Sounds like me a few weeks ago. Knocked all the cells (well, play cups with eggs) down, added a super. A week later knocked all the cells down (properly charged cells this time) and replaced a frame of stores with a new frame... a few days later (didn't wait a whole week due to poor forecast)...

Following the swarm prevention split last Monday I went back in today to check on the chosen remaining cell and knock down later emergency queen cells. Based on my estimation of the cell/larval age last week I reckon the new queen is due to emerge on Friday +/- a day. The chosen one! A few of...

New beek + new (first!) extractor + first capped super frames. I reckon I'd have done the same. According to Google maps my bees are 1.48 miles from his and my hive has drawn and and filled (but not capped) 8 super frames (50/50 alternating foundation/foundationless), and part drawn 2 more in...

Thornes "Bees on a Budget" hives are good value for starting out because they've got the full hive with supers, frames and foundation in 1 kit. Add bee suit, smoker, hive tool and you've got everything you need to begin with, except bees. You will however need some spare kit as time goes on...

Still lots of blackthorn and willow around, although the blackthorn's going over now Cherry and Hawthorn just coming out.

6 charged cells found. I tore down 5 and marked the frame with the chosen cell. Queen, 2 frames of capped brood (1 emerging), 1 frame of stores into a poly nuc. 2 further frames of bees shaken in (not from the qcell frame) because the flyers will mostly return home. Plenty of drones in the...