Combining one weak and one queen-less colony from two aperies.

[user 22881]

As the title suggests.
I have (what was my one and only) tiny colony with a good laying queen in a 6 frame home built nuke in my Polytunnel. Its building slowly but nicely.
A friend has a large but queen-less (to be quantified) National hive three quarters of a mile up the road.
Last night was the third and final time for collecting drift foragers after moving of a colony from his to mine over the last few days.
So the question is can we combine the weak and queen-less colonies and what would be the best way to do it OR would a frame of eggs be better for the queen-less hive this late in the season. My friend has two more strong colonies to play with.
Thanks.
Gaff.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

can we combine the weak and queen-less colonies and what would be the best way to do it OR would a frame of eggs be better for the queen-less hive this late in the season. My friend has two more strong colonies to play with.

giving them a frame of eggs, hoping they'll make a new queen, then her getting mated is a forlorn hope at this time of the year. better off uniting them

 

[user 22881]

Thanks.
Thats what I though but not necessarily what I want.
So the next question is if I take mine up the road will my foragers who have never left the polytunnel just get lost when they finally get to leave the new hive or will disrupting the way out be enough to prevent that?
Will any drifters still end up back at the polytunnel?

 

[drex]

I put the moved hive on top, thinking that chewing through the paper helps reorientation. You might lose a few, you might not. Could always put an empty nuc in the poly tunnel in case you get a few returns.

 

[blackcloud]

Feeding season mitigates loss of foragers

 

[enrico]

Thanks.
Thats what I though but not necessarily what I want.
So the next question is if I take mine up the road will my foragers who have never left the polytunnel just get lost when they finally get to leave the new hive or will disrupting the way out be enough to prevent that?
Will any drifters still end up back at the polytunnel?

I would suggest that if they have never been out of the polytunnel then there will be no problem with them re locating to the new hive. They would reorientate on their first flight as they have no familiar landmarks to guide them anywhere

 

[ericbeaumont]

frame home built nuke in my Polytunnel

Free to fly out to forage?

 

[elainemary]

A friend has a large but queen-less (to be quantified) National

I would quantify this before you unite. Take your frame of eggs and check they are queenless. Some queens go off lay at this time of year then resume laying shortly. Are there other signs of queenless-ness? How long have you suspected the hive being queenless and is brood still there? Once you’re sure they are queenless as long as the hive is not aggressive, i’d just unite with newspaper and put the smaller colony on top.
If the colony is a bit aggressive I would cage the queen during the uniting process. They will ‘know’ there is low chance of making a queen and getting her mated at this time of year, so acceptance should be good, but if at all worried just put her into a cage anyway with a bit of fondant and newspaper the colony on top, to slow down the introduction a little. I’ve had v good acceptance doing it like this.

 

[user 22881]

Thanks for the replies.
It was so hot yesterday I had to open the poly tunnel door.
They were foraging like little pros. I opened the door a few days ago and within a couple of hours they started getting robbed that didn’t happen yesterday, the Ivy’s coming out here.

So some have been out of the tunnel. They do have a load of different late blooming plants in the tunnel with them. That tunnel looks like a florists.
We‘re supposed to be going through the queenless hive today.
Thanks for all the advice.
I’ll keep you posted.
G.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

bees need more than the confines of a mini polytunnel to do do more than just exist

 

[user 22881]

bees need more than the confines of a mini polytunnel to do do more than just exist

What would you have done with no other colonies available?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

What would you have done with no other colonies available?

not put them in the polytunnel to start with

 

[user 22881]

not put them in the polytunnel to start with

Thank you that was very insightful.

 

[Erichalfbee]

As the title suggests.
I have (what was my one and only) tiny colony with a good laying queen in a 6 frame home built nuke in my Polytunnel. Its building slowly but nicely.
A friend has a large but queen-less (to be quantified) National hive three quarters of a mile up the road.
Last night was the third and final time for collecting drift foragers after moving of a colony from his to mine over the last few days.
So the question is can we combine the weak and queen-less colonies and what would be the best way to do it OR would a frame of eggs be better for the queen-less hive this late in the season. My friend has two more strong colonies to play with.
Thanks.
Gaff.

Yes you can combine them. I would do it through newspaper with the queenright colony on top but for heavens sake don’t leave them in the polytunnel. That’s no place for bees.
How long have you had them in there by the way and have they been foraging outside of it.

 

[Erichalfbee]

not put them in the polytunnel to start with

I don’t know about the OPs but you can’t spend more than five minutes in ours in the summer.

 

[JamezF]

I don’t know about the OPs but you can’t spend more than five minutes in ours in the summer.

I spent some time in one of our polytunnels sorting out self-pollinated peppers this afternoon. After about half an hour my t-shirt looked like I'd been swimming in it. My wife has banned me from sitting on the sofas when I come indoors (no, JBM, not like that).

James

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Thank you that was very insightful.

I'm not sure what your comment is saying. JBMs remark about not putting a colony of bees into a closed polytunnel sounded both sensible and succinct. If we're misunderstanding and the polytunnel was continuously open then fair enough but confining them inside on a continuous basis isn't something I would ever consider doing

 

[Erichalfbee]

What’s this?

 

[ericbeaumont]

If we're misunderstanding and the polytunnel was continuously open then fair enough

had to open the poly tunnel door.

Gaff, please tell us plainly: was the polytunnel normally closed or open?

Why is the hive wrapped?

 

[Curly green finger's]

I’m amazed they’ve not cooked in there with all that wrapping on after the temps we’ve had over the last week .
I’ve not read the first post but they’ve got to be stressed in there without proper flying time foraging etc.