Combining QR poly nuc with queenless wooden national

[John M]

Please be nice in your answers, I do know how to combine 2 hives and why, when etc. but I need help this time...

I have a QR 5 frame poly nuc with over 2 frames of covered brood and good stores - It is a one piece box with integral mesh floor. I also have a wooden national hive with about 4 frames of bees but no queen, no brood and 9 empty unused queen cells (bigger than cups). What are the mechanics of combining them? Just to make things even more complicated I am exactly half way through apiguard treatment.

John

 

[REDWOOD]

Put the nuc frames in an empty brood box and unit as usual

 

[itma]

Do you have a spare National brood box?

If not, you'll probably find you are doing some sort of 'confusion' combine, with sprays, smells, icing sugar and hopefully some totally confused bees.

 

[Goodwood]

Ive wondered about this myself but in the end got the nuc up to size on its own so didnt have to actually do it.
My thoughts were to create a vertical newspaper divide within the broodbox, running the newspaper contiguously across the top and bottom of one colony aswell.
I.e. a sort of newspaper envelope within the brood box of both "halves".
Only my thoughts and i am prepared to be shot down in flames by a Yoda.

 

[John M]

thanks - I do have a spare brood box - should I place it above or below?

Seriously, I will do it tomorrow - thanks again. Vertical paper sounds promising but maybe next time!

 

[REDWOOD]

I would leave it on the top but some will say it does not matter

 

[Tdf]

the stronger hive usually goes on top, usually q- but in your case probably the nuc

 

[Poly Hive]

I put the Q+ unit on top as they are more motivated to get out.

PH

 

[Sadders]

Put the nuc frames in an empty brood box and unit as usual

I've never had to unite so this is educated guesswork.

Don't 2 supers equal one 14x12. As a temporary measure could make a stand in brood box?

Could the queen be put in a butler cage and the nuc shaken in with the others?

 

[REDWOOD]

I've never had to unite so this is educated guesswork.

Don't 2 supers equal one 14x12. As a temporary measure could make a stand in brood box?

Could the queen be put in a butler cage and the nuc shaken in with the others?

supers are 6 inches a 14x12 brood box is 12 inches
there is another method, air freshener, make a gap in the center of your brood box to accept the nuc frames and use air freshener spray to mask the queens scent, warning only need to fill the air with the smell don't spray the bees or the frames

 

[John M]

Sorry to bump but I wanted to say thanks. In less than 6 hours they had stopped clustering on the front and were flying in and out collecting stuff again. Amazing to see such a quick return to normal behaviour. I have now put the frames with brood on them (and the queen) into the middle of the others and all seems well. Thanks again.