combining bees

[Heather]

What sort of 'perfume' have you safely used in a spray when joining different colonies of bees together??

 

[Poly Hive]

Just any very expensive one of course, Channel comes to mind.... LOL

PH

 

[VEG]

Why use perfume?
Just spray them all with sugar syrup.

 

[hedgerow pete]

if you want try using the rose water they sell for your iron, but water will do with a hand full of sugar, or dust with icing sugar or a sheet of paper

 

[Polyanwood]

I saw a video of a bee farmer making up packages from different colonies using a toilet air freshner!

 

[VEG]

Come on and what chemicals are in these perfumes and toilet freshners you want that in yer honey lol.

 

[Poly Hive]

VEg? One drop of perfume to unite nucs? Hardly the contaminent of the year is it?

PH

 

[FenBee]

Why not take your time and use a Snelgrove board

 

[Hombre]

Fenbee, the reality is that a drop of Channel doesn't come out of the bee budget, just don't get caught or it might be cold shoulder at teatime!

I do understand that if you were a member of the tender gender, that the economic dynamics would perhaps be quite different.

 

[Heather]

Will go with the v. dilute syrup spray - just didnt want to get them sticky and give them problems - but v. light should be ok.
Will do tomorrow P.H. - if this miserable weather picks up - v chilly again after temps of 20-22. Spray of water not nice on cold day!! -
Oh do I spoil my bees - I hear you say -

 

[Heather]

And brain block setting in -

Do I put queen right above or below the queenless colony. I am sure queen below, but the queenless is much bigger and heavy to hoick up ontop another brood- does it really matter if I am doing a newspaper join up?

 

[Heather]

Bump- need to do tonight...

 

[MJBee]

It doesn't really matter whether the queen is top or bottom if you are using newspaper to unite. If you intend removing one brood box after they have united leave them for a week. Then make sure the queen is in the bottom brood Qx then brood to be removed - once all brood has emerged, clearer board and remove. Good luck, Mike

 

[Poly Hive]

q+ on top Heather.

The bees with her will have the "need" to get through the paper and get after pollen and water. The q will also have a natural desire to go up so having her up in the first place is sensible.

So there is in fact a sound reason for having her on top.

PH

 

[mikethebee]

Hi Heather me darlinks.
if you would like to come and help shaking our bees into 3 pound package bees for sale next year about 1st week MAY.
you will see how its done and what we use.
We have a lot of orders already and have been having to make up new breeder boxs we hope to keep the price the about the same.
This year was the first time we tryed it we made up 400 and sold the lot.
all the best mike

 

[DulwichGnome]

I, with the help of Polyanwood, successfully combined three small colonys using icing sugar.
The two queenless colonys were dusted and the frames mixed in the lower box and the QR colony on top with another dusting on the frames but keeping them in the same order. There were a lot of white bees in the air when it was done but no fighting. I looked at them last week and all was well.

Mike.

 

[oliver90owner]

Now, thinking logically about this. Does queen pheromone rise or fall?
Warm air tends to rise so I think I might generally unite with Queenless on top, some top ventilation and expect they all smell the same by the time they have read the newspaper and chewed it up.

This year was icing sugar. Works just as well.

Alternatively if I am moving a colony (3 mile rule) and uniting it would be dropped on the other one (less mesing around), so either way.

At least on this one you will only get 2 direct answers but there may be loads of different reasons why. I simply take each event on it's merits.

Regards, RAB

 

[Heather]

Thanks all - have gone for main girl on top -(shush Mike...) Will have no choice but to leave as off to Spain soon
Thanks for the offer Mike- if only you lived nearer

 

[Haughton Honey]

I've used a few drops of lemongrass oil in water twice in the last week and it's worked well - I've heard that vanilla essense is pretty good too!

 

[victor meldrew]

Why not take your time and use a Snelgrove board

Er! the snelgrove board is a device for dividing a colony not uniting one surely?.

John Wilkinson