Combining hives with supers

[Honeypi]

I've been reading up on combining hives as we have several caught swarms that we'd like to merge with our stronger colonies. I'm comfortable with the newspaper method and will be trying it out this weekend, weather permitting.

However, our stronger colonies have supers on. Should the weaker colony BBs go on top of the supers or above the strong BB and below the supers? If the latter, would we need two layers of newspaper (i.e. one between the strongBB and the weak BB and one between the weak BB and the super)?

Thanks!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Just put the donor colony on top of the colony that isn't being moved - whether it is the stronger or weaker - no difference.
I usually shut the donor up after they've stopped flying and move it close to the receiving colony then early morning (I prefer it that way) pop the crownboard off the recipient, two sheets of the Telegraph (at last, a useful purpose) then a Queen excluder - make a few cuts in the paper with the sharp end of your hive tool, quickly move the donor hive off its floor and on to the receiving hive (no need to do anything else to that, as long as you have loosened the BB off the floor the evening before) job done, just the roof to put back on. You will probably find you didn't even need your beesuit. I did one this morning - uniting a nuc with three frames of brood and a newly mated queen (but put into a full brood box for the unite) onto a strong Q- colony with two supers on.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

I would keep separate until certain they are disease free

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Just put the donor colony on top of the colony that isn't being moved - whether it is the stronger or weaker - no difference.

just thought I'd add, it makes no difference whether the Q+ side is on the top above the newspaper or below with free movement to outside.

 

[Honeypi]

Thanks for the advice, we'll be combining them today!

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

 

[Erichalfbee]

just thought I'd add, it makes no difference whether the Q+ side is on the top above the newspaper or below with free movement to outside.

the lighter one gets moved

 

[Glenviewbee]

How long would you leave the uniting colonies before going back in to sort out frames etc into one brood box?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I sort the frames out as soon as I see a decent amount of newspaper under the hive and being taken out by the bees, two maybe three days.

 

[Glenviewbee]

Thanks Erichalfbee - am combining a couple of small swarms onto separate building colonies myself in the next couple of days