Changing hives

[Poly Hive]

It is not uncommon to want to change hive type.

This is an easy way to do it provided it involves normal type hive bodies. As in rectangular or square.

To change frames put a thin piece of ply over the bottom box with the brood in it and a good sized hole Put the box of foundation on top and when the queen is up there and laying put an excluder in to keep her up. Three weeks later reverse the boxes on to a suitable floor of course, use a clearer board and the now broodless box is clear to remove. I have used this to move from National to Langstroth and to Smith from Langstroth and various other combinations. A nice and gentle way to do it with no queen hunting or shaking of bees.

PH

 

[For want of a better word]

Excellent "S"
Have to put a box of Native Cornish bees from a 6 frame Paynes Nuc std National brood into an Apimae Langstroths contraption.

Have been scratching my head as the two polly boxes come from different planets!!

Mytten da

 

[EKBee]

And feed syrup to encourage them to draw the new comb? (unless there's a flow on)

 

[masterBK]

Sounds like a form of Bailey comb to me.

 

[madasafish]

Thanks for the guide. Got two nationals to convert to langs this spring when it is warmer..

 

[bjosephd]

Thanks for the guide. Got two nationals to convert to langs this spring when it is warmer..

Yep me too...

One National to Lang to do.

Although the Natioanl is very close to the house and nice to look at out the conservatory window as the bees come and go. But too close to have it as a monster hive. I might once the Lang box is taken off work out a way of letting the bottom box requeen. And take the top box elsewhere. Will this work? What do you reckon to the logistics of making that work? (I guess also depends on the productivity of the queen).

Top box prob can only be moved about 50 metres.

BJD

 

[Poly Hive]

It's not a named system that I know of, it i just a very easy straightforward way to move colonies from one frame type to another. No hassle, no stress no queen finding, no shaking.

Call it the PH system if you like makes no odds to me.



PH

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Sounds like a form of Bailey comb to me.

basically - it's just the addition of the board with a hole in solves the issue of differing hive/frame sizes.

 

[mbc]

Call it the PH system if you like makes no odds to me.
PH

Lol.

 

[bjosephd]

Thornes call it a uniting board and sell them for a couple of quid. But basically a picture frame.

I got one last year in preparatiom for doing exactly the above.

However, it is only 5mm think and since it will be between national on the bottom and langstroth on the top it could probably do with being 6mm-8mm.

I'll use as a template and cut my own.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

basically - it's just the addition of the board with a hole in solves the issue of differing hive/frame sizes.

We merged a queenright colony from a paynes polynuc up into a queenless national brood box using an old kiitchen unit flat door with a hole cut in it a support grid and a sheet of newspaper.
Needed tying together to stabilise as the bigger,heavier box was on top but worked a treat.

 

[Poly Hive]

There ya go... keep it simple. LOL On another site I was told I was using a crown board? Also that the strain of bee made no odds to the hive size... I politely said so Amm in Dadant is good and Buckfast in a single Nat brood was smart? No answer...LOL

PH

 

[For want of a better word]

There ya go... keep it simple. LOL

PH

Correx cut to size... should hole be 2 inched diameter or 50mm.. ?? particularly as we have Native bees that probably would have a preference for Imperial measurement over all that foreign metric nonsence!!!!


Ha Ha !!

Nos da

 

[stevebrowning]

I've used this method to move very strong Mini Hive Plus bees to Langstroth hives easily. After a couple of weeks the Mini Hive goes back to queen rearing. Simple and effective.
The PH system!