Can I unite 3 hives?

[ericbeaumont]

unite any number

Can't unite one to itself.

They don't fight

Two will fight, especially in a dearth, and thousands will be dead.

 

[Curly green finger's]

You can unite as many as you like (not 2) by shaking them all out on a sloping board leading to a brood box. By the time they are all in there is no fighting at all. Obviously not recommended at these temperatures!

I’ve united colony’s like this there was lots of forage around ..
Also three swarms one was recedent the other two were fresh and got dumped above and sprayed with sugar syrup, the resident queen servived.
No fighting either times .

 

[Erichalfbee]

You can unite any number of colonies. They don't fight.

Not 2 unless you use air freshener or newspaper

 

[Erichalfbee]

You can unite as many as you like (not 2) by shaking them all out on a sloping board leading to a brood box. By the time they are all in there is no fighting at all. Obviously not recommended at these temperatures!

Of course. I forgot that. I may have some to do this spring. If it ever gets warmer. Do you cage one queen in the meantime?

 

[Moody]

Hi
I have a question relating to uniting.
I have a overwintered hive on double brood, when I do my 1st inspection, I suspect the majority of the bees & queen will be in one of the boxes.

How would I combine into one?
Thanks

 

[Newbeeneil]

Of course. I forgot that. I may have some to do this spring. If it ever gets warmer. Do you cage one queen in the meantime?

I’ve always done it with colonies that have dodgy or failing queens, removed them and thrown all the colonies (including the Q+ one) onto the board. You end up with a very strong colony just right to go into winter.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Hi
I have a question relating to uniting.
I have a overwintered hive on double brood, when I do my 1st inspection, I suspect the majority of the bees & queen will be in one of the boxes.

How would I combine into one?
Thanks

It is one.
If you mean how you reduce it to one box, you need to bear in mind a few things, the first being, if you thought they needed two boxes last year, what makes you think one is sufficient now?
to reduce to one you just need to consolidate all the brood in to one box, leave some stores in there (and the queen!) and plenty of laying space, then take the rest away.
Simples

 

[PollenPirate]

Not 2 unless you use air freshener or newspaper

That is not my experience

 

[ericbeaumont]

That is not my experience

What is your experience of uniting two colonies, PP?

 

[PollenPirate]

What is your experience of uniting two colonies, PP?

I usually just put a piece of paper between them. However, I have also just pinched one queen, let them waited a week, knocked down queen cells and united.

I have even united 2 with a excluder between them, they after a week or two pinched one of the queens. This is no different than those running 2 queen colonies with shared supers.

 

[Antipodes]

I usually just put a piece of paper between them. However, I have also just pinched one queen, let them waited a week, knocked down queen cells and united.

I have even united 2 with a excluder between them, they after a week or two pinched one of the queens. This is no different than those running 2 queen colonies with shared supers.

I've had some bad combines with newspaper and also some that work perfectly.
A divider board with a double screen can possibly help too. I have quite a few of them now and what they are is just a feeder style rimmed board with a hole in the middle with mesh each side with a small entrance in the rim that can be closed. I made the holes with a simple hole cutter. If I do a Demaree, I take off the double screen mesh and replace it with a couple of small pieces of queen excluder each side. If it is a reverse Demaree, I just use the double screen. The ply is thickish - say 9 to 12 mm generally.

 

[Antipodes]

I would add too, that uniting colonies like Neil mentioned above (post 26), seems to result in terrific big colonies into the new season.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Murray routinely unites two without removing the queen but I’m sure there must be some sort of barrier to fighting. I shall ask

I think I remember him saying that 80% of the time, the younger queen survived, 15% the older queen, and 5% both lived on. I don't remember anything about a barrier.

 

[Antipodes]

I think I remember him saying that 80% of the time, the younger queen survived, 15% the older queen, and 5% both lived on. I don't remember anything about a barrier.

I remember another study where it was something like 93% the younger queen.
Also, I recall a study where the bees somehow seem to decide which egg to make a queen from (amongst other things) by choosing the ones with the most diverse patrilines.
There is no way that I can make those sort of decisions as well as they can, so these days I let them decide which eggs to use.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Also, I recall a study where the bees somehow seem to decide which egg to make a queen from (amongst other things) by choosing the ones with the most diverse patrilines.

Neat little synopsis here Who's the Daddy

 

[Curly green finger's]

I've had some bad combines with newspaper and also some that work perfectly.
A divider board with a double screen can possibly help too. I have quite a few of them now and what they are is just a feeder style rimmed board with a hole in the middle with mesh each side with a small entrance in the rim that can be closed. I made the holes with a simple hole cutter. If I do a Demaree, I take off the double screen mesh and replace it with a couple of small pieces of queen excluder each side. If it is a reverse Demaree, I just use the double screen. The ply is thickish - say 9 to 12 mm generally.

Photos Antipodes please?

 

[Murox]

I've had some bad combines with newspaper and also some that work perfectly.
A divider board with a double screen can possibly help too. I have quite a few of them now and what they are is just a feeder style rimmed board with a hole in the middle with mesh each side with a small entrance in the rim that can be closed. I made the holes with a simple hole cutter. If I do a Demaree, I take off the double screen mesh and replace it with a couple of small pieces of queen excluder each side. If it is a reverse Demaree, I just use the double screen. The ply is thickish - say 9 to 12 mm generally.

Thats a nifty way to do things. Was it Bob Binny inspired?

 

[Sutty]

I saw a "uniting board" for sale once - a mesh screen with a very small section of queen excluder in one corner, and a rim.
Like this:
https://cornishhoney.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=754

 

[Newbeeneil]

I saw a "uniting board" for sale once - a mesh screen with a very small section of queen excluder in one corner, and a rim.
Like this:
https://cornishhoney.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=754

Interesting. I might try that with an old piece of mesh!

 

[Swarm]

I've had some bad combines with newspaper and also some that work perfectly.
A divider board with a double screen can possibly help too. I have quite a few of them now and what they are is just a feeder style rimmed board with a hole in the middle with mesh each side with a small entrance in the rim that can be closed. I made the holes with a simple hole cutter. If I do a Demaree, I take off the double screen mesh and replace it with a couple of small pieces of queen excluder each side. If it is a reverse Demaree, I just use the double screen. The ply is thickish - say 9 to 12 mm generally.

The best bits of equipment in my beekeeping kit.